Data on the effects of fertilization on growth rates, biomass allocation, carbohydrates and nutrients of nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing tree legumes during tropical forest restoration.

OBJECTIVES: Tree legume species play an important role in forest restoration in the tropics. Understanding how different species adjust carbohydrate allocation and growth under distinct nutrient availability will enhance the success of restoring degraded areas. DATA DESCRIPTION: A 2-year tropical forest plantation of the Forest Restoration Program of the Balbina Hydropower Dam was evaluated. Three non-N-fixing (Cenostigma tocantinum, Dipteryx odorata and Senna reticulata) and three N-fixing (Clitoria fairchildiana, Inga edulis and Acacia spp.) tree legume species were either fertilized or not fertilized. Growth rates and biomass allocation were calculated, and carbon (C) fractions and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations were determined. Multiple nutrient additions increased the growth rates and aboveground biomass production of fertilized plants. According to the results presented, different species and N- fixers respond differently to fertilization regimes. The authors encourage the use of the presented data in meta-analysis studies that consider the fertilization or nutrient deficiency effects on growth, carbohydrate and nutrient responses. N-fixing species with high biomass growth and foliar N are important for restoring N and C cycles in nutrient-limited soils. Fertilization treatments are fundamental during the early stages of forest plantation development.

Proteomic identification and purification of seed proteins from native Amazonian species displaying antifungal activity.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Seeds of native species from the rain forest (Amazon) are source of chitinases and their protein extracts exhibited strong and broad antifungal activity. Numerous plant species native to the Amazon have not yet been chemically studied. Studies of seeds are scarcer, since adversities in accessing study areas and seasonality pose constant hurdles to systematic research. In this study, proteins were extracted from seeds belonging to endemic Amazon species and were investigated for the first time. Proteolytic activity, peptidase inhibitors, and chitinases were identified, but chitinolytic activity predominated. Four proteins were purified through chromatography and identified as lectin and chitinases by MS/MS analyses. The proteins were examined for inhibition of a phytopathogen (Fusarium oxysporum). Analyses by fluorescence microscopy suggested binding of propidium iodide to DNA of fungal spores, revealing that spore integrity was lost when accessed by the proteins. Further structural and functional analyses of defensive proteins belonging to species facing highly complex ecosystems such as Amazonia should be conducted, since these could provide new insights into specificity and synergism involving defense proteins of plants submitted to a very complex ecosystem.

Carbon and nutrient stocks of three Fabaceae trees used for forest restoration and subjected to fertilization in Amazonia.

Amazonia is crucial to global carbon cycle. Deforestation continues to be one of the main causes of the release of C into the atmosphere, but forest restoration plantations can reverse this scenario. However, there is still diffuse information about the C and nutrient stocks in the vegetation biomass. We investigated the carbon and nutrient stocks of Fabaceae trees (Inga edulis, Schizolobium amazonicum and Dipteryx odorata) subjected to fertilization treatments (T1 - no fertilization; T2 - chemical; T3 - organic; and T4 - organic and chemical fertilization) in a degraded area of the Balbina Hydroelectric Dam, AM - Brazil. As an early successional species, I. edulis stocked more C and nutrients than the other two species independent of the fertilization treatment, and S. amazonicum stocked more C than D. odorata under T1 and T4. The mixed species plantation had the potential to stock 4.1 Mg C ha-1 year-1, while I. edulis alone could stock 9.4 Mg C ha-1 year-1. Mixing species that rapidly assimilate C and are of significant ecological and commercial value (e.g., Fabaceae trees) represents a good way to restore degraded areas. Our results suggest that the tested species be used for forest restoration in Amazonia.

Carbon and nutrient stocks of three Fabaceae trees used for forest restoration and subjected to fertilization in Amazonia

ABSTRACT Amazonia is crucial to global carbon cycle. Deforestation continues to be one of the main causes of the release of C into the atmosphere, but forest restoration plantations can reverse this scenario. However, there is still diffuse information about the C and nutrient stocks in the vegetation biomass. We investigated the carbon and nutrient stocks of Fabaceae trees (Inga edulis, Schizolobium amazonicum and Dipteryx odorata) subjected to fertilization treatments (T1 - no fertilization; T2 - chemical; T3 - organic; and T4 - organic and chemical fertilization) in a degraded area of the Balbina Hydroelectric Dam, AM - Brazil. As an early successional species, I. edulis stocked more C and nutrients than the other two species independent of the fertilization treatment, and S. amazonicum stocked more C than D. odorata under T1 and T4. The mixed species plantation had the potential to stock 4.1 Mg C ha-1 year-1, while I. edulis alone could stock 9.4 Mg C ha-1 year-1. Mixing species that rapidly assimilate C and are of significant ecological and commercial value (e.g., Fabaceae trees) represents a good way to restore degraded areas. Our results suggest that the tested species be used for forest restoration in Amazonia.