Whole-tree water relations of co-occurring mature Pinus palustris and Pinus elliottii var. elliottii

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Gonzalez-Benecke ◽  
Timothy A. Martin ◽  
Wendell P. Cropper,

The natural range of longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris P. Mill.) and slash pine ( Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) includes most of the southeastern US Coastal Plain, and there is now considerable interest in using these species for ecological forestry, restoration, and carbon sequestration. It is therefore surprising that little information is currently available concerning differences in their ecological water relations in natural stands. In this study, we compared water use, stomatal conductance at the crown scale (Gcrown), and whole-tree hydraulic conductance of mature pine trees growing in a naturally regenerated mixed stand on a flatwoods site in north-central Florida. We found remarkable similarities between longleaf and slash pine in stored water use, nocturnal transpiration, and whole-tree hydraulic conductance. Mean daily transpiration rate was higher for slash than for longleaf pine, averaging 39 and 26 L·tree–1, respectively. This difference was determined by variations in tree leaf area. Slash pine had 60% more leaf area per unit basal sapwood area than longleaf pine, but the larger plasticity of longleaf pine stomatal regulation partially compensated for leaf area differences: longleaf pine had higher Gcrown on days with high volumetric water content (θv) but this was reduced to similar or even lower values than for slash pine on days with low θv. There was no species difference in the sensitivity of Gcrown to increasing vapor pressure deficit.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Zachary Singh ◽  
Adam Maggard ◽  
Rebecca Barlow ◽  
John Kush

Abstract Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) are two southern pine species that are popular for producing pine straw for landscaping. The objective of this research was to determine the response of soil properties and weed growth to the application of pine straw. Longleaf pine, slash pine, and two non-mulched controls (with and without chemical weed control) were tested. Volumetric soil water content, soil nutrients, soil temperature, weed biomass, and seedling growth were measured. Compared to non-mulched controls, both longleaf and slash pine plots had a greater soil moisture during extended periods without rainfall in the full sun environment. When soil temperatures increased, mulched plots had lower soil temperature relative to non-mulched plots. Soil pH and soil nutrients were generally similar between pine straw types with few significant differences in measured variables. Both pine straw treatments reduced weed growth and longleaf pine maintained a greater straw depth over the study period compared to slash pine, but no differences were observed for decomposition. These results indicate that longleaf pine straw and slash pine straw perform equally as well in terms of increasing soil moisture, moderating soil temperature, and reducing weed growth compared to not using mulch. Index words: Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, organic mulch, soil properties, landscaping. Species used in this study: Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii Buckl., Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis L.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn B. Fain ◽  
Charles H. Gilliam ◽  
Jeff L. Sibley ◽  
Cheryl R. Boyer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for use of container substrates composed of processed whole pine trees (WholeTree). Three species [loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)] of 8- to 10-year-old pine trees were harvested at ground level and the entire tree was chipped with a tree chipper. Chips from each tree species were processed with a hammer mill to pass through a 0.374-inch screen. On 29 June 2005 1-gal containers were filled with substrates, placed into full sun under overhead irrigation, and planted with a single liner (63.4 cm3) of ‘Little Blanche’ annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus). The test was repeated on 27 Aug. 2005 with ‘Raspberry Red Cooler’ annual vinca. Pine bark substrate had about 50% less air space and 32% greater water holding capacity than the other substrates. At 54 days after potting (DAP), shoot dry weights were 15% greater for plants grown in 100% pine bark substrate compared with plants grown in the three WholeTree substrates. However, there were no differences in plant growth indices for any substrate at 54 DAP. Plant tissue macronutrient content was similar among all substrates. Tissue micronutrient content was similar and within sufficiency ranges with the exception of manganese. Manganese was highest for substrates made from slash pine and loblolly pine. Root growth was similar among all treatments. Results from the second study were similar. Based on these results, WholeTree substrates derived from loblolly pine, slash pine, or longleaf pine have potential as an alternative, sustainable source for producing short-term horticultural crops.


1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 1005-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Merkel

The larvae of Dioryctria abietella (D. & S.) are among the most destructive pests of the cones of slash pine, Pinus elliottii Engelm., and longleaf pine, Pinus palustris Mill., in the Southern United States. Larval instar data have been particularly useful in laboratory insecticide screening tests where it is essential to use larvae of the same age. The following is a brief account of a test to determine the number of larval instars of D. abietella in Florida.


ISRN Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
D. Paul Jackson ◽  
Scott A. Enebak ◽  
David B. South

Cold storing bareroot southern pine (Pinus spp.) seedlings for greater than one week after lifting in the fall can lead to poor outplanting survival when compared to seedlings that are lifted and stored in winter. In contrast, container-grown seedlings typically do not experience adverse effects from storing for periods greater than one week. The practice of lifting bareroot seedlings can cause wounds to root systems, which could allow soil-borne pathogens such as Pythium species to be used as infection sites. Once seedlings are placed in storage, the cool, moist environment may be conducive for zoospore activity, leading to root disease and outplanting failure. Bareroot and container-grown longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and container-grown shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) were inoculated with either Pythium dimorphum or Pythium irregulare, cold-stored for 3, 4, 6, or 12 weeks, and outplanted. Both Pythium species reduced survival of bareroot longleaf pine but not bareroot slash pine. Length of storage decreased survival for both seedling stock types. Pythium species did not affect the survival of container-grown seedlings. These results suggest that P. dimorphum and P. irregulare are more virulent to bareroot longleaf pine than the other pine species tested.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P McGuire ◽  
John S Kush ◽  
J Morgan Varner ◽  
Dwight K Lauer ◽  
J Ryan Mitchell

Abstract Efforts to restore longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) in the southeastern US require substantial artificial regeneration. Once established, important questions remain about when to introduce fire. We investigated the impact of initial planting density on tree branching and how prescribed fire might interact with tree architecture and survival. A particular focus was on how prescribed fires could “prune” lower branches. Lower density plantings (897 trees ha−1) had more and larger live lower branches than higher density plantings (2,243 trees ha−1). Fire was effective in pruning lower branches regardless of season burned, but fire in the growing season was more effective at pruning. Branches up to a height of 1.5 to 2 m were killed by fire. Fire applied in August caused greater damage with more needles scorched and/or consumed and more stem char. Prescribed fire did not impact longleaf pine tree survival. In general, fire applied to longleaf pine facilitated pruning lower branches that affect long-term wood quality, an additional argument for its utility in restoration and management of these ecosystems.


2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1511-1524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J Jokela ◽  
Timothy A Martin

The effects of ontogeny and soil nutrient supply on aboveground biomass accumulation, allocation, and stemwood growth efficiency of loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) were investigated in north-central Florida over 16 years using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment (species, fertilization, weed control). Aboveground biomass growth responses to the combined fertilizer and weed control treatments (FW) averaged ~2- and 2.8-fold for slash and loblolly pine, respectively. In the same treatment, annual needlefall (NF) production for slash pine approached a "steady state" of 6 Mg·ha-1 at ages 8-14 years, while loblolly pine NF production peaked at 7 Mg·ha-1 at age 10 years, and then declined 17% following curtailment of the fertilizer treatment. Periodic stemwood biomass increment (PAI) for the FW treatment for both species culminated at about 15 Mg·ha-1·year-1 at age 8 years and then declined rapidly (~275%) to <4 Mg·ha-1·year-1 at 15 years; reductions for the untreated control were considerably slower. The progressive decline in PAI following peak leaf area development was closely associated with a decrease in stemwood production per unit leaf area (growth efficiency). A unit increase in leaf area index in the 7- to 9-year-old stands produced about 3.0 and 3.1 times more stemwood biomass per year than in the 14- to 16-year-old stands for loblolly and slash pine, respectively.


1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey E. Hill

Abstract I compared birds present during the breeding season in four forest types in the Conecuh National Forest located on the Gulf Coastal Plain in Alabama: (1) longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) that had been subject to several recent burns, (2) longleaf pine that had been subject to few or no recent burns, (3) planted slash pine (P. elliottii), and (4) various forested wetland habitats ranging from stream-side riparian habitat to cypress (Taxodium distichum) ponds. I found significantly higher total individuals and significantly higher bird species richness in the two natural forest types—burned longleaf pine and riparian habitats—than either unburned longleaf or slash pine. To maintain greatest diversity and abundance of birds, managers of forests on the Gulf Coastal Plain should (1)preserve wetland habitat, (2) not convert stands of longleaf pine to stands of slash pine, and (3) regularly burn longleaf pine stands. South. J. Appl. For. 22(3):133-137.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1495-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas L. Eberhardt ◽  
Joseph Dahlen ◽  
Laurence Schimleck

Composition of the southern pine forest is now predominated by two species, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.), owing to fire suppression activities, natural regeneration on abandoned agricultural lands, and extensive planting. Comparison of the wood and bark physical properties of these pines is of interest in terms of the yields of usable biomass and, for the bark, its ecological functionality on a living tree. Trees from a species comparison study were used to generate wood and bark property data, on a whole-tree basis, and for stem disks collected at breast height. Models were constructed to explain the effect of relative height on wood and bark properties. When comparing the whole-tree data, slash pine wood (0.523 versus 0.498) and bark (0.368 versus 0.311) specific gravity values were higher, both offset by lower moisture contents; slash pine also produced a higher percentage of bark on a dry-mass basis (17% versus 12.5%). Unlike wood properties, bark properties showed significant between-species differences when determined at breast height alone, the exception being moisture content. In terms of yield, harvests of a green tonne of loblolly pine and slash pine would give approximately the same dry mass of wood, but slash pine provides more bark.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 2118-2127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelcy R. Ford ◽  
Robert J. Mitchell ◽  
Robert O. Teskey

We investigated annual aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and transpiration (E) of the dominant plant life forms, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) trees and wiregrass (Aristida stricta Michx.), in a fire-maintained savanna. Experimental plots spanned a natural hydrologic gradient (xeric and mesic site types) mediated by soil moisture (θ) and water table depth (WTD), and received additions of either 0 or 100 kg N·ha–1·year–1. Low rates of ANPP (1.3–2.2 Mg·ha–1) and annual E (108–380 mm) were observed in these communities. WTD and N addition explained 95% of the variation in community ANPP, whereas site type and WTD explained 83% of variation in community E. Between tree and grass life forms, longleaf pine ANPP was more coupled to WTD than wiregrass. For any given leaf area supported, ANPP of longleaf pine increased linearly with increasing water use and decreasing WTD. The longleaf pine ANPP response to N addition was greater in sites with high water use compared with those with low water use, indicating that this savanna system is colimited by nutrient and water availability and that water table depth plays a role in regulating savanna productivity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M Hooker ◽  
Brian P Oswald ◽  
Jeremy P Stovall ◽  
Yuhui Weng ◽  
Hans M Williams ◽  
...  

Abstract West Gulf Coastal Plain provenance loblolly (Pinus taeda L.), longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.), shortleaf (Pinus echinata Mill.), and slash pines (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) were planted in December 2015 on three east Texas sites to compare initial growth and survival. Three years after planting, survival ranged from 26.4% to 76.4%. Damage by Texas leafcutter ants (Atta texana) caused significant mortality on one site, and feral hog (Sus scrofa) herbivory and uprooting greatly affected survival at two other sites. Tree heights were greater in loblolly and slash pine than in shortleaf and longleaf pine, whereas diameters were greater in loblolly than in slash, shortleaf, and longleaf. Height and survival rates were greater in Shelby County and were lowest in Cherokee County. Midday leaf-level water potentials were most negative for shortleaf and loblolly pines and varied across the three sites. Tree heights were significantly but weakly (R = −0.23) correlated to leaf-level water potentials. Study Implications Based on these results, loblolly pine is recommended for planting on sites where soil moisture is adequate, if early growth and survival are a concern. Slash pine can outcompete other pines on sites where soils are poorly drained. On soils that are excessively drained with low moisture, shortleaf may be considered. Given longleaf pine’s ability to retain needle moisture and surface area during periods of low soil moisture, longleaf pine is suggested for planting on the same sites. Longleaf pine will require more active management on any soil type in order to decrease herbaceous plant competition. Continued measurements are required to determine whether these growth and survival trends will continue over a full rotation.


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