Forest Management and Nutrient Cycling

**3**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Plantations

*Bangliang Deng and Ling Zhang*

Nitrogen Cycling and Soil

Amelioration in *Camellia oleifera*

*Camellia oleifera* Abel. is one of the four woody edible oil trees around the world,

which is also an important economic species in subtropical China. It is mainly cultivated in subtropical region, where the soil constrains the yield of *C. oleifera* oil due to its low fertility and pH. Thereby, intensive management including fertilization practice, especially intensive nitrogen (N) input, has been developed as a vital way to enhance oil yield in *C. oleifera* plantations. However, excessive nitrogen input increases soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and soil acidification, limiting sustainable development of economic forests. As one of the important greenhouse gases, N2O is 265 times greater than carbon dioxide in global warming potential on 100-year scale. To mitigate soil N2O emissions and soil acidification, soil amelioration, including applications of biochar, nitrification inhibitors, and urease inhibitors, played an important role in sustainable management of *C. oleifera* plantations. This chapter reviewed soil nitrogen cycling, N2O emissions, and soil amelioration in *C. oleifera* plantations, which will benefit the sustainable management of *C. oleifera*

plantations and hence the development of *C. oleifera* industries.

sustainable forest management, urease inhibitor

**1.** *Camellia oleifera*

(about 83%) [6].

in China has been up to 4.94% [3].

**Keywords:** *Camellia oleifera*, biochar, nitrification inhibitor, soil amelioration,

*Camellia oleifera* Abel*.* as a native edible oil tree has a long cultivation history in subtropical China [1]. It is a perennial and evergreen species with synchronous flowers and fruits. The cultivation area and total product value of *C. oleifera* have reached 4.47 million ha and 102.4 billion Chinese yuan, respectively [2]. With rapid development, the *C. oleifera* oil accounted for 80% domestic high-end vegetable edible oils in 2018 from China. High habitat suitability area for *C. oleifera* cultivation

Specially, *C. oleifera* oil and oils derived from palm, olive, and coconut are the four major woody edible oils in the world [4]. The *C. oleifera* oil is characterized by remarkable antioxidant activity [5] and high content of unsaturated fatty acids

*Camellia oleifera* can survive and adapt to low-fertility acid soil. Generally, it usually is used in the conservation of soil and water as well as afforestation in barren hill. Therefore, *C. oleifera* is an excellent species with both ecological and
