Abstract: In a 25-year-old Pinus massonianaplantation, five forest management patterns were set up to examine the effects of forest management pattern on soil physicochemical properties and ecological stoichiometric ratio. The management patterns included: (1) super-large diameter timber cultivation (PTD), (2) continuously planting P. massoniana after clear-cutting (PM), (3) planting Castanopsis hystrix after clear-cutting (CH), (4) planting P. massoniana×C. hystrix same aged mixed forest after clear-cutting (PCT), and (5) planting P. massoniana×C. hystrix differentaged mixed forest after thinning (PCY). Results showed that forest management pattern significantly affected soil C∶N and N∶P and soil physicochemical characteristics except for soil bulk density and total potassium. Soil total porosity in CH and PCT was significantly higher than that in PTD and PCY. Soil pH was the highest in CH. The contents of soil total carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, and total phosphorus were higher in PCY and PTD than in other forest management patterns, whereas the content of soil available phosphorus in CH and PCT and available potassium in PCT were higher than in other patterns. Soil C∶N was higher in PM and PCT, whereas soil N∶P in PCY was slightly higher than in PTD and CH but significantly higher than in PM and PCT. There was no significant difference of C∶P among different patterns. Our results indicated that soil quality of C. hystrix pure forest and P. massoniana×C. hystrix differentaged mixed forest was slightly higher than that of the patterns of super-large diameter timber cultivation and P. massoniana×C. hystrix sameaged mixed forest, but significantly higher than that of continuously plantingP. massoniana. We should pay attention to the limitation of soil phosphorus availability on plant growth resulted from the extended rotation periods of P. massoniana stands.

Key words: soil fertility, C∶N, N∶P, C∶P, soil quality.