%0 Research Notes
%T Effect of drainage maintenance on the nutrient status on drained Scots pine mires
%A Lauhanen, Risto
%A Kaunisto, Seppo
%D 1999
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 50
%N 3-4
%U http://suo.fi/article/9785
%X The effects of drainage maintenance on the nutrient contents in peat and Scots pine needles on drained pine mires were studied. The material consisted of twelve Finnish field experiments. Drainage maintenance (increasing ditching intensity; no treatment at all, mere ditch cleaning, mere complementary ditching, and both of them together) was carried out in 1982-1985. The needles were sampled in 1994-1995 and peat in 1996. There were great differences in the site types and consequently also in the peat and needle nutrient concentrations between the experiments. The needle Mn concentrations demonstrated a fairly good drainage status in all the treatments. Drainage maintenance had only minor effects on the nutrient status of peat and needles. Ditch cleaning decreased magnesium, manganese and zink amounts in the surface peat. Increasing the intensity of drainage maintenance increased the 100-needle dry mass, but decreased the needle boron concentrations. Peat and needle nitrogen concentrations increased slightly (not significantly) along with the increased intensity in drainage maintenance. The peat nutrients classified correctly 83.7% of the fertility classes for drained peatlands.