The Role of Almond-Leaved Pear Pyrus spinosa Forssk. in Mediterranean Pasturelands Carbon Storage and Woodlands Restoration

Rafael Silveira Bueno, Emilio Badalamenti (), Luciano Gristina, Agata Novara and Tommaso La Mantia
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Rafael Silveira Bueno: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed.4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Emilio Badalamenti: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed.4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Luciano Gristina: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed.4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Agata Novara: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed.4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Tommaso La Mantia: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed.4, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: A large portion of the Mediterranean basin suffers from a lack of organic carbon in the soil and low woody cover percentages, resulting in a very high risk of desertification. In such conditions, knowing the effects on below and above ground carbon sequestration of pioneer woody species is of great importance, although barely assessed at the individual level. In this study, we first investigated whether almond-leaved pear ( Pyrus spinosa ) individuals influence soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and stock in comparison with surrounding pasturelands inside a natural reserve in Sicily, Italy. Second, we evaluated inter individual variability on such storage, testing the effects of plant height, basal diameter, canopy cover and tree structure (single or multiple stems). Soils under pear presented, on average, a significantly higher SOC than pasturelands (3.86% and 3.16%, respectively) as well as a lower bulk density (1.09 and 1.28 g cm −3 , respectively). Due to a lower soil compaction, SOC stocks (130.3 and 113.9 Mg ha −1 , respectively) did not differ significantly. Below and aboveground biomass carbon accounted for a small fraction of carbon stock, while neither pear structure, age nor tree structure significantly influenced SOC concentration and SOC stock. Despite the need of further investigations, our results indicate that pear may represent an excellent tree species to improve carbon storage, both while triggering the restoration of Mediterranean woodlands or increasing biodiversity in pasturelands and agroforestry systems, that, indeed, can hold high SOC if well managed.

Keywords: agroforestry; desertification; ecological restoration; silvopastoral systems; soil organic carbon; plant biomass; woody encroachment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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