Responses in Some Growth and Mineral Elements of Mono Maple Seedlings to Enhanced Ultraviolet-B and to Nitrogen Supply

The effects of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and nitrogen supply on the growth and mineral elements of mono maple (Acer mono Maxim) seedlings were studied in open semi-field conditions. Mono maple is a common species in reforestation processes in the southeast of the Qinhai-Tibetan Plateau of China. The experimental design included two levels of UV-B treatments (ambient UV-B, 11.02 KJ/m²/day; enhanced UV-B, 14.33 KJ/m²/day) and two nitrogen levels (0; 20 g N/m²/a). No visible symptoms of nutrient deficiency were observed in seedlings grown under enhanced UV-B radiation during the experiment. However, there was visible damage of enhanced UV-B radiation on leaves. Enhanced UV-B significantly reduced plant height and biomass of plants, and changed biomass allocation between organs under supplemental nitrogen supply, which lead to a decrease in root/shoot ratio. On the other hand, nitrogen supply significantly increased plant height and biomass under ambient UV-B, whereas it reduced root mass and root weight ratio, and increased stem mass and stem weight ratio under enhanced UV-B. In addition, enhanced UV-B radiation and nitrogen supply significantly affected the concentration and allocation of most nutrients in various organs, and nitrogen supply could changed the effects of enhanced UV-B on mineral element in plant parts to some extent, which may have significant impacts on nutrient cycling and may lead to the disorder of nutrient balanced and influence the growth of plants.