Oiltea camellia （Camellia oleifera Abel.）, an aluminium （Al） hyperaccumulator, grows well on acid soils in tropical or subtropical areas. In this study, the growth of oiltea camellia in response to Al application and the characteristics of Al uptake and accumulation were investigated using laboratory and field experiments. The growth of oiltea camellia seedlings in the nutrient solution tended to be stimulated by addition of Al. Results of the field experiment showed that oiltea camellia accumulated 11 000 mg kg-1 Al in leaves within 10 months, and the average rate of Al accumulation in new leaves was about 1100 mg kg-1 month-1; however, the monthly rate varied and was highest in spring and autumn. The results of the laboratory experiment on Al uptake by oiltea camellia seedlings in CaC12 solutions with various forms of Al showed that large amounts of Al supplied as Al3＋ and Al complexes Al-malate （1：1） and Al-F （1：1） were infiuxed into oiltea camellia roots, whereas Al supplied as Al-citrate （1：1）, Al-F （1：6）, Al-oxalate （1：3）, and Al-oxalate （1：1） complexes exhibited low affinity to oiltea camellia roots. The kinetics of Al3＋ cumulative uptake in excised roots and intact plants showed a biphasic pattern, with an initial rapid phase followed by a slow phase. The Al cumulative uptake was unaffected by low temperature, which indicated that Al uptake in oiltea camellia was a passive process. The efficient influx of Al into the roots and the high transport rate in specific seasons were presumed to account for the plentiful Al accumulation in leaves of oiltea camellia.
The mechanisms for the effects of ammonium-based fertilizers on soil acidification in subtropical regions are not well understood. Two Ultisols collected from cropland and a tea garden in Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces in subtropical southern China, respectively, were used to study the effects of urea and （NH4）aSO4 on the nitrification and acidification of soils with incubation experiments. Nitrification occurred at very low pH with no N fertilizer added and led to lowering of the soil pH by 0.53 and 0.30 units for the soils from Jiangxi and Anhui, respectively. Addition of urea accelerated nitrification and soil acidification in both Ultisols; while nitrification was inhibited by the addition of （NH4）2SO4, and greater input of （NH4）2SO4 led to greater inhibition of nitrification. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB） played an important role in nitrification in cropland soil under acidic conditions. Addition of urea increased the soil pH at the early stages of incubation due to hydrolysis and stimulated the increase in the AOB population, and thus accelerated nitrification and soil acidification. At the end of incubation, the pH of Ultisol from Jiangxi had decreased by 1.25, 1.54 and 1.84 units compared to maximum values for the treatments with 150, 300 and 400 mg/kg of urea-N added, respectively; the corresponding figures were 0.95, 1.25 and 1.69 for the Ultisol from Anhui. However, addition of （NH4）：SO4 inhibited the increase in the AOB population and thus inhibited nitrification and soil acidification. Soil pH for the treatments with 300 and 400 mg/kg of （NHn）2SOa-N remained almost constant during the incubation. AOB played an important role in nitrification of the cropland soil under acidic conditions. Addition of urea stimulated the increase in the AOB population and thus accelerated nitrification and soil acidification; while addition of （NH4）2SO4 inhibited the increase in the AOB population and thus inhibited nitrification.
