Willow plantation shapes the properties of arable soils under temperate climatic conditions

Although willow produces large amounts of fuel that can be used to generate heat or electricity, its plantation affects the properties of its host soil. To assess these changes over time, we compared the properties of the top layers (0-10 cm) of willow plantation soils from three plot age groups (4-6, 7-10 and 11-14 years old) with the properties of the neighbouring arable soils. We focused on carbon (C) storage, the compounds in which C occurs, nutrients and enzyme activity. The calculated change index indicated an increase in the C and available potassium, magnesium and phosphorus contents as well as the dehydrogenase, invertase and urease activities over time in the soils of the willow plantation, although the accumulated C was in more-labile forms (e.g. O-alkyl C) than in the arable soils. Nevertheless, the soils under plantation had higher quality indices, by about 20%, than the arable soils. Our results indicate that the cultivation of willow does not only not deteriorate the properties of arable soils, but, in some respects, even improves their quality, demonstrating ecosystem recovery. However, our statements are based on the results of soil chemical and biochemical properties while physical and biological risks effects on soils were not included in our study.