Inorganic fertilizers are limiting factors of vegetation restoration of Qinghai Tala Shoal Photovoltaic Power Station

doi:10.17520/biods.2022100

Abstract

Abstract:

Amis: With its unique geographical condition, vast desert and abundant solar energy resources (strong and abundant solar radiation and long sunshine duration), the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau comprises an important region with multiple advantages in constructing photovoltaic power stations for realizing carbon neutrality. However, the key factors that limit vegetation restoration after such station construction remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to examine how three factors (inorganic fertilizer, microbial inoculum and trace element) affect vegetation restoration under photovoltaic panels.

Methods: Experiments were conducted in the Qinghai Tala Shoal desert steppe ecosystem. A full-factor interaction experiment was carried out to explore the short-term effect of limiting factors including microbial inoculum, inorganic fertilizers (nitrogen and phosphorus) and trace elements, as well as their interaction on the vegetation characteristics (including community cover, aboveground biomass and species richness).

Results: The inorganic fertilizers significantly increased community cover (F_1,5 = 40.598; P < 0.001), decreased plant species richness (F_1,5 = 5.133; P = 0.026), but had no significant effect on aboveground biomass (F_1,5 = 0.279; P = 0.599). Based on Tukey’s honestly significant difference test, the mixed addition of inorganic fertilizers, microbial inoculants and trace elements reached the maximum value in community cover for both under and outside the photovoltaic panels.

Conclusions: These experiments suggested that inorganic fertilizer is a major factor limiting vegetation restoration under photovoltaic panels, while microbial inoculants and trace elements also play irreplaceable roles in promoting vegetation restoration. Therefore, all of them should be together supplemented for effectively restoring vegetation under photovoltaic panels.

Key words: desert steppe, photovoltaic power station, vegetation restoration, limiting factor, interaction effect

Xiang Liu, Peng Zhang, Jianquan Liu. Inorganic fertilizers are limiting factors of vegetation restoration of Qinghai Tala Shoal Photovoltaic Power Station[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2022, 30(5): 22100.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2022100

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2022/V30/I5/22100

Figures/Tables 4

Fig. 1 Experimental design diagram of Qinghai Tala Shoal photovoltaic power station. CK, Control; IF, Inorganic fertilizer; MI, Microbial inoculum; TE, Trace element; IF+MI, Inorganic fertilizer + microbial inoculum; IF+TE, Inorganic fertilizer + trace element; MI+TE, Microbial inoculum + trace elements; IF+MI+TE, Inorganic fertilizer + microbial inoculum + trace elements. The capital letters in the plots represent different blocks. The blue blocks represent under the photovoltaic panel, and the yellow represent outside the photovoltaic panel. Photographed by Peng Zhang (DJI Mavic Air 2).

Table 1 Multivariate ANOVA results of the effect of different habitats (outside the photovoltaic panel and under the photovoltaic panel) and different limiting factors on community cover, aboveground biomass and plant species richness

	群落盖度 Community cover (%)		地上生物量 Aboveground biomass (g)		物种丰富度 Plant species richness
	F_1,5	P	F_1,5	P	F_1,5	P
Habitats	19.513	< 0.001	7.285	0.009	2.887	0.093
IF	40.598	< 0.001	0.279	0.599	5.133	0.026
MI	0.116	0.735	0.045	0.832	0.570	0.452
TE	<0.001	0.993	2.133	0.148	0.891	0.348
Habitats : IF	1.284	0.261	0.666	0.417	0.570	0.452
Habitats : MI	0.084	0.772	0.358	0.551	5.133	0.026
IF : MI	0.442	0.508	3.461	0.067	1.747	0.190
Habitats : TE	2.144	0.147	0.234	0.630	0.036	0.851
IF : TE	2.000	0.161	0.351	0.555	0.570	0.452
MI : TE	12.073	0.001	0.907	0.344	6.987	0.010
Habitats : IF : MI	0.278	0.599	0.055	0.816	0.036	0.851
Habitats : IF : TE	0.011	0.918	0.285	0.595	<0.001	1.000
Habitats : MI : TE	0.459	0.500	0.093	0.762	3.565	0.063
IF : MI : TE	0.253	0.617	0.917	0.341	0.891	0.348
Habitats : IF : MI : TE	1.475	0.228	0.712	0.401	0.036	0.851

Fig. 2 Effect of different limiting factors on community cover, aboveground biomass, and plant species richness at different habitats (outside the photovoltaic panel and under the photovoltaic panel). Abbreviations are the same as denoted in the legend of Fig. 1.

Table 2 One-way ANOVA results of the effect of limiting factors on community cover, aboveground biomass and plant species richness in different habitats (outside the photovoltaic panel and under the photovoltaic panel)

	群落盖度 Community cover (%)		地上生物量 Aboveground biomass (g)		物种丰富度 Plant species richness
	F_7,40	P	F_7,40	P	F_7,40	P
光伏电板外 Outside the photovoltaic panel
限制因子 Limiting factors	2.869	0.016	1.444	0.215	0.672	0.694
光伏电板下 Under the photovoltaic panel
限制因子 Limiting factors	1.247	0.301	0.197	0.984	1.986	0.081

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