Development of Douglas-fir seedling root architecture in response to localized nutrient supply

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglass F Jacobs ◽  
Robin Rose ◽  
Diane L Haase

Three months following sowing, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were transplanted into pots with controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) applied at rates of 0, 8, 16, and 24 g/2200 cm3 soil as a single uniform layer beneath the root system. Seedlings were destructively harvested periodically, and roots were divided into vertical segments above (S1), within (S2), and below (S3) the fertilizer layer. Two months following transplant, the number of active root tips was positively correlated with CRF rate in S1 and negatively correlated with rate in S2 and S3. At 6 months, root penetration into S3 was severely restricted at 16 and 24 g. This was attributed to detrimental changes in soil osmotic potential in S2. Fertilizer improved seedling growth at 8 g after 6 months compared with controls but was inhibitory at 24 g. Photochemical quantum yield was higher in all CRF treatments compared with controls 3 months following transplant, which corresponded with rapid initial CRF nutrient release. Despite improvements in nutrient release technology with CRF, high application rates may result in excessive concentrations of fertilizer nutrients in media, which can restrict root penetration and negatively affect seedling growth. Conservative application rates and improvements in CRF technology will help reduce the potential for adverse effects on seedling development.

1973 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 695-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Bale ◽  
G. E. Hart

The effects of sodium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid on barley were determined and compared following treatments of seedling root tips at three different concentrations (1 × 10−2M, 1 × 10−4M, 1 × 10−6M) and for six different durations (12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 hr). Treatment with a 1 × 10−2M concentration of either sodium fluoride or hydrofluoric acid markedly slowed the rate of seedling growth. However, no inhibition of growth was observed following treatment with a 1 × −4M or a 1 × 10−6M concentration of either agent. Chromosomal aberrations were induced and mitosis was inhibited by each of the three different concentrations of both sodium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid. The sodium fluoride treatments induced a higher frequency of chromosomal aberrations than did the hydrofluoric acid treatments, possibly due to differences in pH and in the total available fluoride ions. These treatments produced bridges, fragments, chromosome gaps, binucleate cells and micronuclei.


1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Harvey ◽  
M. J. Larsen ◽  
M. F. Jurgensen

Numbers of ectomycorrhizae were assessed 3 years after harvesting approximately 50% of the overstory in two Douglas-fir-larch stands in western Montana, one was subjected to intensive residue removal, the other broadcast burned 1 year after harvest. Numbers of active ectomycorrhizal root tips were significantly reduced in the broadcast burned stand compared to either the intensively utilized stand or to an adjacent, undisturbed stand. This indicates that on difficult-to-regenerate sites, particularly where soil organic matter is low, it may be advantageous to dispose of slash created in partial cuts by means other than burning.


1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 917-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Chakravarty ◽  
L. Chatarpaul

We investigated the effects of Velpar L (hexazinone) on ectomycorrhizal (Laccarialaccata) and nonmycorrhizal Pinusresinosa seedlings in the greenhouse and in the field. In both greenhouse and field studies, seedling growth was reduced by Velpar L at 1, 2, and 4 kg/ha application rates in the short term (2 months' exposure) with significant recovery occurring afterwards. Seedling mortality occurred only with herbicide treatments and was higher in the greenhouse than in the field. The 4 kg/ha Velpar L treatment caused the highest mortality and toxicity was most pronounced in the mycorrhizal (Laccarialaccata inoculated) seedlings. In both experiments mycorrhizal infection was significantly reduced by 2 and 4 kg/ha Velpar L treatments during the 0- to 2-month and 2- to 6-month exposure periods, with significant recovery occurring in the latter. Although seedlings not infected with Laccarialaccata became mycorrhizal through unidentified indigenous species, their infection rates were also affected by Velpar L at all levels during the 0- to 2-month period and at the 2 and 4 kg/ha levels after 2–6 months of exposure to the herbicide.


1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-757
Author(s):  
E. D. Lowe ◽  
D. R. Buckmaster

1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Hobbs ◽  
Michael S. Crawford ◽  
Beverly A. Yelczyn

Abstract Three stocktypes of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) were planted in a droughty, skeletal soil in southwest Oregon. After 5 years, container-grown plugs and plug-1 transplants survived significantly better than 2-0 bareroots. Seedling root systems were largely confined to the surface soil, with relatively little development upslope or deeper than 15 cm. Stocktype morphology differed significantly at planting. However, annual absolute growth, annual relative growth, and shoot and root characteristics did not differ significantly after 5 years. These results suggest that, on similar sites, seedling morphological characteristics within the range of those measured in this study may not affect growth and that stocktype designation along may not be adequate for predicting field performance. West. J. Appl. For. 4(1):21-24, January 1989.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1208-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Maguire ◽  
Douglas B. Mainwaring ◽  
Robin Rose ◽  
Sean M. Garber ◽  
Eric J. Dinger

A key silvicultural decision in managing young conifer plantations is determining the number and timing of release treatments to control competing vegetation. Three coastal Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) plantations were treated under eight alternative herbicide regimes during the first 5 years after planting to test treatment effects on vegetation dynamics and seedling growth. After termination of herbicide treatments, competing vegetation developed at a rate similar to that of check plots, reaching 40%–60% cover in the first growing season and approaching 100% by the third. Recovery of competing vegetation was slightly more rapid with greater number of previous releases. Annual volume growth of seedlings was negatively correlated with current cover of competing vegetation, but competitive effects from previous years were fully accounted for by initial tree size. Under 4 years of release, delaying treatment by 1 year reduced volume attained at the end of 5 years by about 15%. Plots receiving 5 consecutive years of weed control reached the 5 year volume of check plots in only 3.9 years, implying an age shift of 1.1 years. Increasing the number of operational release treatments significantly improved seedling growth in the short term, but long-term growth effects must be monitored to determine the economically optimal regime.


2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Iles ◽  
D. H. Ashton ◽  
K. J. Kelliher ◽  
P. J. Keane

The growth of Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell. (mountain ash) seedlings is poor in natural forest soil, where purple coloration of the foliage indicates P deficiency and where the fungus Cylindrocarpon destructans (Zinsm.) Scholten is commonly isolated from the roots of the seedlings. When forest soil is air-dried, P acquisiton and growth of seedlings are markedly improved, although the degree of growth stimulation varies considerably at different times, as does the frequency of occurrence of C. destructans on the roots. C. destructans has been implicated as a possible reason for suppressed growth of seedlings in undried natural soil. To find out whether C. destructans contributes to growth inhibition of E. regnans seedlings in undried forest soil, the effect of three isolates of C. destructans on the root growth of E. regnans seedlings was tested in Petri dish experiments in vitro and the effect of C. destructans inoculation on seedling growth both in air-dried and undried forest soil was tested in pot experiments. The frequency of occurrence of C. destructans on the roots varied at different times, and was not consistently higher in undried than in air-dried soil, even though the growth of the seedlings was always poor in undried soil compared with that in air-dried soil. In vitro, C. destructans decreased the root growth significantly and caused blackening of root tips. This effect was removed by adding natural air-dried or undried soil. In pot experiments using undried forest soil, there was no evidence of either direct toxic effect or any other adverse effect on the roots when soil was inoculated with this fungus, even when the growth of the seedlings was reduced to ~1/2 of that in uninoculated undried soil. In air-dried soil, inoculation with the fungus did not significantly reduce seedling growth. Although potentially pathogenic and able to cause blackening of root tips, C. destructans is unlikely to be the main reason for poor seedling growth in undried forest soil. It appears to be antagonistic rather than pathogenic, suppressing seedling growth only under unfavourable conditions, such as in undried soil, possibly by competing for limited nutrients, or by suppressing other beneficial micro-organisms. The results are discussed in the context of field conditions.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (73) ◽  
pp. 239 ◽  
Author(s):  
EK Christie

The influence of phosphorus application on the growth and drought survival of buffel grass on a sandy red earth in south west Queensland was studied in a series of pot experiments. An omission nutrient trial showed phosphorus was the principal nutrient limiting seedling growth, the severity of the deficiency increasing with time. A further pot experiment showed that at rates greater than 24 kg P ha-1 luxury consumption occurred. The critical phosphorus concentration for the plant was estimated to be 0.26 per cent. The available (0.01 NH2SO4 extractable) soil phosphorus concentration corresponding to this critical tissue concentration was 25 p.p.m. Beyond the 2-leaf seedling stage, the seedling depended increasingly on external phosphorus for growth. Under conditions of phosphorus deficiency, phosphorus absorption rates were insufficient to maintain tissue phosphorus at the concentrations necessary for healthy growth, and relative growth rates were low. In the presence of phosphorus, absorption and growth rates increased. Maturity of phosphorus deficient plants was characteristically delayed but with little yield loss. The addition of phosphorus increased seedling growth rate, root development and drought survival. The depth of root penetration is considered to be the major factor responsible for survival.


1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Pilz ◽  
David A. Perry

The effect of clear-cutting, with and without slash burning, on ectomycorrhizal formation of Douglas-fir seedlings (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) was studied in field and greenhouse bioassays. Twelve ectomycorrhizal types were found in three western Cascade Mountain sites on seedlings planted in soils exchanged among burned and unburned portions of clear-cuts and undisturbed forest. Rhizopogon sp. and an unidentified brown type consistently formed at least two-thirds of the ectomycorrhizal root tips. Regardless of soil origin, more ectomycorrhizae formed in clear-cuts than in undisturbed forest (primarily due to more brown mycorrhizae). Soil origin did not affect total numbers of ectomycorrhizae; however, more different types formed in undisturbed forest soils than in clear-cut soils, irrespective of aboveground environment. More nonmycorrhizal tips occurred in clear-cut soils. Seedlings grown in the same soils formed the same proportions of Rhizopogon and brown types in field and greenhouse, but not the same proportions of less common ectomycorrhizal types. Soil pasteurization increased root-tip numbers. Inoculated soils (1 part nonpasteurized: 9 parts pasteurized) produced as many ectomycorrhizae as nonpasteurized field soils and generally fewer tips than pasteurized soils. Formation of major (but not minor) ectomycorrhizal types on all sites was influenced more by aboveground changes that accompany clear-cutting and site preparation than by alterations in soil chemistry or biology.


1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary A. Ritchie

A method is described for rapidly determining the extent of cold injury to Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedling root systems. It is based upon pressure:volume theory but short-cuts the tedious pressure:volume method. Injured root systems were brought to full hydration, then weighed and placed into a pressure chamber. A pressure of 1.5 MPa was applied for a 5-min period, then the root system was removed from the chamber and reweighed. The percent weight loss was then calculated. Percent weight loss was closely related to degree of low temperature exposure in Douglas-fir seedling roots. Percent weight loss values were near 5 in uninjured controls, whereas freeze-injured seedlings had percent weight loss values of 7 or greater. Percent weight loss values measured on seedlings just before planting were closely correlated with seedling vigor and mortality 3 months following planting in both a field test and a greenhouse pot trial.


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