An alternative method of measuring fertilizer effects in forest stands

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. O. Salonius ◽  
R. A. Fisher ◽  
M. K. Mahendrappa

In natural stands, variations in growth rates between plots before treatment due to variable stocking, variable population structure, and site differences often preclude the assessment of growth response to fertilizer treatment by conventional plot comparison. An alternative methodology is described, using growth for a black spruce stand in a pretreatment period as the standard against which growth following treatment is compared for each tree. The results of this comparison on treated and control plots are then related to each other to evaluate growth response to fertilizer treatment. Methods for extracting meaningful fertilizer response data are suggested for experiments which are in progress or are completed but not yet harvested.

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 1574-1580 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anisul Islam ◽  
S. Ellen Macdonald

To compare the ability of black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and tamarack ( Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) to adjust to variable edaphic conditions, as found in natural peatlands, we varied N fertilization of seedlings in a growth chamber experiment over two growing seasons and examined growth, biomass partitioning, and gas exchange. Seedlings from both species received either high N (100 µg·L–1) or low N (10 µg·L–1) in consecutive growing seasons as follows: (i) low N and low N (LL), (ii) low N and high-N (LH), (iii) high N and low N (HL), and (iv) high N and high N (HH). Both species had greater shoot and total dry weight after 1 year in the high-N treatment as compared with seedlings grown for 1 year under low-N. For tamarack, these differences were larger and they also exhibited a positive effect of fertilization on net assimilation and water use efficiency. Only black spruce exhibited a positive growth response following the move to higher N fertilization in the second year (LL versus LH), whereas only tamarack exhibited a negative growth response following the move to lower N fertilization (HH versus HL). Still, tamarack had greater total biomass at the end of 2 years than did black spruce, irrespective of fertilizer treatment. Both species had greater total biomass in the HL treatment than in the LH treatment. Tamarack seems able to take advantage of favorable nutrient conditions, but it also experiences more dramatic growth declines under poor or deteriorating conditions. While black spruce grows more slowly than tamarack, it is somewhat buffered from declines in growth under poor or deteriorating conditions. Each species appears to be adapted in its own way to the edaphic heterogeneity that exists in natural boreal peatlands.


1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.S. Shumway ◽  
H.N. Chappell

The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) has been used successfully in agricultural crops and holds promise for use in forest stands. This study used soil tests to develop DRIS norms and evaluate their effectiveness in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests. DRIS norms for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium were developed using soil test and site index data from 72 soil series that commonly support Douglas-fir in western Washington. The norms were tested using soil test and stand basal area growth response data from 20 thinned and 30 unthinned N fertilizer test sites in coastal Washington and Oregon. Response to urea fertilizer in thinned stands averaged 34% and 43% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively, when N was identified as the most limiting nutrient. When N was not the most limiting nutrient, N response averaged 8% and 10% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively. Results were similar in unthinned stands and thinned stands, although response to fertilizer appeared to be slightly less in unthinned stands when N was the most limiting nutrient. DRIS correctly classified 25 of the 33 sites (76%) where N fertilizer increased growth by more than 15%. More importantly, 13 of the 17 (76%) sites that responded by less than 15% were correctly identified by DRIS. The results clearly indicate that N fertilizer response is dependent on the interactions (balance) between soil nutrients at a given site. Future soil diagnostic work needs to focus on techniques, like DRIS, that provide an assessment of these interactions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-81
Author(s):  
Fredrik R.S. Mauri ◽  
Diana Sawen ◽  
Alnita Baaka

Cuscus is an arboreal animal whose habitat is in the forest with the type of food consumed are fruits, leaf shoots, and agricultural plants. Animal manure can also be used as organic fertilizer for forage plants. This study aims to determine the growth response of Setaria grass (Setaria sphacelata) given a dose of cuscus manure fertilizer with banana and avocado consumption. The study was designed in a CRD with 3 treatments. The treatments were P0 = without fertilizer (100% soil), P1 = 40 g/polybag of cuscus manure with banana consumption, and P2 = 40 g/polybag of cuscus manure with avocado consumption. Planting is done by pols on polybags measuring 30 x 25 cm. The results showed that the highest plant height of Setaria grass was found in P2 with an average of 101.70, then P1 was 101.47 and P0 was 71.16 cm/week. The results were the same for the number of leaves and tillers, P2 showed significantly higher results (P<0.05), followed by P1 and control. The application of organic fertilizer of cuscus manure with the consumption of bananas and avocados can increase the growth of Setaria grass.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 1400-1408
Author(s):  
Lulu MA ◽  
Qiang ZHANG ◽  
Jiao LIN ◽  
Wei SU ◽  
Caixia YIN ◽  
...  

Due to the indeterminate growth habit of cotton crops, a better understanding of N status at the rational fertilizer regime is important to promote lint yield. The fertilizer-response model was employed to evaluate N status by analyzing data of shoot dry mass, N content and N concentration at different growing stages. A field study was conducted on drip-irrigated cotton plants with N fertilizer addition in total amounts of 0 (N0), 120 (N1), 240 (N2), 360 (N3) and 480 (N4) kg ha-1 in Xinjiang, China in 2016. Thirty percent of total fertilizers were applied at planting and the rest 70% were applied over six applications. The N fertilizer treatment at the accumulative rate of 70 kg ha-1 was enough to induce the N status of steady state accumulation 60 days after germination. Since 90 days the treatments that delivered the N amount between 120 and 240 kg ha-1 was deficient for cotton demand, higher rates from 360 and 480 kg ha-1 induced inherent N reserve and resulted in the highest level of yield. With regard to the practical meaning, the N fertilizer dose of 360 kg ha-1 can be used for cotton growth. The N fertilizer dose of 120 kg ha-1 can be recommended when the yield of 5,840 kg ha-1 lint can meet the goal of cotton culture.   ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********


1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Weetman

A 65-year-old upland black spruce (Piceamariana Mill. B.S.P.) stand near Baie Comeau, Quebec, was thinned and fertilized with urea; each treatment was at 2 levels in a split plot factorial design. The trees responded to the nitrogen addition after 1 year and to thinning after 7 years. The trees were still growing faster in response to most treatments after 10 years. Trees of all size classes responded to the treatments. The periodic increment was not increased by 25% thinning, but was increased by 50% thinning and was always increased by nitrogen additions. Absolute increases over control values ranged from 130 to 290 ft3 (11 to 24.6 m3) for an application of 100 lb N per acre (112 kg N per hectare) and 238 to 297 ft3 (20 to 25.2 m3) for 400 lb N per acre (444 kg N per hectare) (1 ha = 104 m2). Some synergistic effect of combined thinning and fertilizer treatments is indicated.Mortality losses in the 10-year period were appreciable because of excessive stand density. The roles of thinning and fertilizer treatments in black spruce management are discussed.


Weed Science ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Nash

Two or more pesticides together may produce a growth response in plants that is not predictable by their individual or independent toxicities. This unpredicted (dependent) response results from an interaction, a concept that usually is not easily interpreted. Dependent responses are further complicated by the fact that they can be either synergistic or antagonistic. Several methods exist for identifying and measuring phytotoxic interactions. Nearly all methods have certain shortcomings, however. Additive and multiplicative models (mathematical expressions) are the two basic approaches to determining pesticide interactions. The two-parameter, isobole, and calculus methods axe additive; whereas, Colby and regression estimate are multiplicative models. Regression estimate analysis considers deviations due to experimental errors, and a statistical significance can be attached to the interaction magnitude, thereby overcoming the deficiencies of the Colby method, but both methods seem to be limited to response data in which the combined pesticide concentration is the sum of the individual pesticide concentrations. The two-parameter method seems to be limited to response data in which the combined concentration is equal to the individual pesticide concentration and to response data in which a pesticide concentration necessary to produce a 50% of control value is interpolated rather than extrapolated. The calculus method is a mathematical expression of the growth response, and interaction is measured by derivation of the equation obtained. The calculus method is difficult to interpret and has a major weakness because it depends upon the multiple regression equation of the observed data. The regression estimate method is recommended as a reasonable approach to interpretation of interaction type data, with a SAS language computer program available from the author.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 116-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda S. Heath ◽  
H. N. Chappell

Abstract Response surface methodology was used to estimate six-year volume growth response to 1 application of 200 lb nitrogen per acre in unthinned and thinned Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) stands of breast height age (bha) 25 years or less. Regional mean fertilizer response was 16% in unthinned stands and 20% in thinned stands. Site index had an increasingly inverse effect on response as basal area increased in both unthinned and thinned stands. Response varied little over site index in regions of low basal area, decreased moderately as site index increased in the intermediate region, and decreased rapidly in the high basal area region. West. J. Appl. For. 4(4):116-119, October 1989.


1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanie Burns ◽  
Klaus J. Puettmann ◽  
Don Perala

Abstract Two different thinning methods were applied to three 6- or 7-yr-old black spruce stands in northern Minnesota which were measured after 20 yr. Overall, thinning improved the growing conditions for crop trees. Strip thinning with a 0.6 m leave strip and three widths of cleared strips (1.5 m, 2.1 m, and 2.7 m), and spacing to 1.5 m, 2.1 m, and 2.7 m resulted in reduced numbers of crop trees, but with larger diameters and, in the spacing thinned plots, greater heights. Because of these contradicting trends, stand volume was unaffected by thinning. Crop tree growth was not affected by the width of the cleared strip, but the distances between the leave trees in the square spacing were positively related to the increased growth response after thinning. The study is still too young to evaluate the economic feasibility of both thinning treatments, but shorter rotations or substantially increased volume seem possible by early thinnings of black spruce. North. J. Appl. For. 13(2):68-72.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 444-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Bobola ◽  
Kimberly A. Hillenberg ◽  
Steve B. Gendreau ◽  
Robert T. Eckert ◽  
Anita S. Klein ◽  
...  

Foliage was collected from natural stands of montane and island red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) and black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) BSP) to examine within- and among-population genetic variation. Samples were scored for frequencies of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) alleles, and mitochondrial and chloroplast haplotypes. Samples were classified as red spruce, black spruce, or hybrid using two molecular methods: a three-character discriminant function based on molecular markers or a three-character molecular index. These results were found to be highly congruent with classification based upon a discriminant function using morphological traits. Among montane populations, hybridization and introgression between red and black spruce did not appear to be a major factor in the observed patterns of variation on elevational transects on Mount Washington and Mount Lafayette, N.H. However, extensive hybridization and introgression were detected among populations on Isle au Haut, Maine. The Mount Lafayette population displayed low variation in rDNA alleles compared with populations on Mount Washington and a range-wide provenance test in Stewartstown, N.H.


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