Effect of soil transfer on ectomycorrhiza formation and the survival and growth of conifer seedlings on old, nonreforested clear-cuts

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 944-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Amaranthus ◽  
D. A. Perry

Small amounts (150 mL) of soil from established conifer plantations and mature forest were transferred to planting holes on three clear-cuts in southwest Oregon and northern California to enhance mycorrihiza formation. The clear-cuts, 8–27 years old and unsuccessfully reforested, included a range of environmental conditions. At Cedar Camp, a high-elevation (1720 m) southerly slope with sandy soil, transfer of plantation soils increased 1st-year Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedling survival by 50%. Notably, soil from a plantation on a previously burned clear-cut doubled mycorrhiza formation and tripled seedling basal area growth. Soil from mature forest did not improve survival and growth. Less dramatic effects owing to soil transfer were evident on other sites, which were lower in elevation and had clayey soils with greater water-holding capacity, and where woody shrubs had apparently preserved mycorrhizal fungi. At Crazy Peak (1005 m), seedling survival was uniformly good, and soil from a previously burned plantation increased Douglas-fir mycorrhiza formation. At Wood Creek (500 m), soil from a plantation on a previously unburned clear-cut increased mycorrhizal branching on sugar pine (Pinuslambertiana Dougl.) seedlings, but there was no other effect. Results suggest that adequate mycorrhiza formation is critical to seedling growth and survival on cold, droughty sites. Populations of mycorrhizal fungi, and perhaps other beneficial soil biota, decline if reforestation is delayed or other host plants are absent. These declines can be offset by soil transfer from the proper source; in this study, soil from vigorous young plantations.

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Parke ◽  
R. G. Linderman ◽  
J. M. Trappe

The presence of ectomycorrhizal and vesicular–arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi in soils from five sites in a mixed conifer zone in southwest Oregon, each consisting of a 1- to 1.5-year-old clear-cut adjacent to an undisturbed forest stand, was determined by bioassay with Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco, Pinusponderosa Dougl. ex P. Laws & C. Laws, and Trifoliumsubterraneum L. 'Mt. Barker' as hosts grown at root zone temperatures ranging from 7.5 to 35 °C. Maximum formation of both ectomycorrhizae and VA mycorrhizae occurred at 18.5–24 °C in soils from all sites, and there were no significant qualitative or quantitative differences between disturbed (clear-cut) or undisturbed (forest) soils. Mycorrhiza formation was moderate even at the lowest temperature tested (7.5 °C) but was greatly reduced or prevented at or above 29.5 °C. Treatment of soil at 35 °C for 1 week did not appear to adversely affect viability of ectomycorrhizal fungus propagules, but young mycorrhizae subjected to the same treatment appeared to be severely injured. Thus the ability of native mycorrhizal fungi to grow at low soil temperatures is especially important as they may contribute to the survival of seedlings outplanted into climatic zones characterized by warm, dry summers following cool, wet winters and springs.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. Roth ◽  
Michael Newton

Abstract The goal of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the individual and interactive effects of weed control, nitrogen fertilization, and seed source on Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) survival and growth in a range of sites and growing conditions in western Oregon. Weed control was the dominant factor influencing seedling survival and growth and accounted for 49% of the explained variation in seedling volume after 2 yr. Nitrogen fertilization had no effect when used in conjunction with weed control and a negative effect when used without weed control. Seedlings from a seed orchard source were significantly larger in diameter and volume than those from a wild local source after two growing seasons, but second-year heights were similar for the two seedling types. Initial seedling size was positively correlated with growth rate. West. J. Appl. For. 11(2):00-00.


1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 929-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Perry ◽  
R. Molina ◽  
M. P. Amaranthus

Although not a panacea, management of mycorrhizae and associated organisms is an important reforestation aid. Its three major components are protection of the indigenous soil community and evaluation of inoculation needs, integration of inoculation programs into existing reforestation technology, and research. Clear-cutting frequently results in reduced mycorrhizae formation, particularly when reforestation is delayed and no other host plants are present to maintain fungal populations. Implications of such reductions for reforestation vary with environmental factors and tree species. Adequate mycorrhiza formation is especially critical for ectomycorrhizal trees growing on poor soils or in environments where seedlings must establish quickly to survive. It may also be important where early successional, noncrop plants do not support the same mycobiont as the crop. In such circumstances, a self-reinforcing trend may develop, with poor mycorrhiza formation reducing seedling survival and poor tree stocking leading to further loss of mycorrhizal inocula. Inoculating nursery seedlings with mycobionts holds promise for improving outplanting performance only if site-adapted fungi are used. A practical alternative is to improve nursery practices to enhance natural populations of mycorrhizal fungi. Seedlings leaving the nursery with diverse mycorrhizae may perform better than those leaving with only one or a few nursery-adapted types. Research is needed in three broad areas: on adaptations of mycorrhizal fungi to particular environmental factors; on interactions between tree seedlings and processes occurring within the sphere of influence of roots (the rhizosphere) or of mycorrhizal roots (the mycorrhizosphere); and on the role of mycorrhizae and associated organisms in ecosystem structure and processes, particularly nutrient cycling, plant-plant interaction, and soil structure.


1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1115-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Livingston ◽  
T. A. Black

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco), western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), and Pacific silver fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) container-grown 1-0 seedlings were spring planted on a south-facing high elevation clear-cut located on Mount Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Treatments, which included inclining seedlings to the southwest, provision of shade cards, irrigation, and irrigation and shade cards combined, were applied to determine whether modification of seedling microclimate would increase survival. Highest survival rates, regardless of treatment, were shown by Douglas-fir. By April 1984, 72 and 82% of untreated Douglas-fir seedlings planted in 1981 and 1982, respectively, survived, whereas survival of treated seedlings ranged from 81 to 95%. The high survival rate in Douglas-fir appeared to be due to their high drought tolerance. The osmotic potential of unirrigated Douglas-fir seedlings declined by over 1.1 MPa during the course of the 1982 growing season in response to decreasing soil water potentials and consequently turgor was maintained in the foliage. Transpiration rates of these seedlings were never less than 50% of those that were irrigated. Western hemlock and Pacific silver fir seedlings exhibited very poor survival, possibly owing to the lack of stress avoidance and tolerance mechanisms. Survival rates of the two species were increased by shade cards and irrigation but never exceeded 64%.


1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao-Hsiung Tung ◽  
Jim Batdorff ◽  
David R. DeYoe

Abstract Two vegetation management methods, paper mulching and spot-spraying with glyphosate, were combined with a root-dipping treatment, Terra Sorb®, to test effects on seedling survival and height growth on a harsh site in Oregon. Survival of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings was significantly higher after the third growing season when competing vegetation had been controlled with mulch or glyphosate during the first two growing seasons. Seedlings retreated with paper mulch and glyphosate before the second growing season had 36 and 25% higher survival than those that were not retreated. None of the seedlings was retreated before the third season; after this season, survival of seedlings treated twice with glyphosate was 26, 23, and 21% higher than seedlings receiving one glyphosate treatment and one or two mulch applications, respectively. There were no differences in seedling height growth among treatments. Rootdipping with Terra Sorb® did not influence survival or growth. West. J. Appl. For. 1:108-111 Oct. 86.


1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 720-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline S. Bledsoe ◽  
K. Tennyson ◽  
W. Lopushinsky

Mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal container-grown Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were outplanted on dry, burned-over sites in eastern Washington. Prior inoculation of seedlings did not significantly increase survival or height growth, but biomass increment during the first growing season was substantially reduced. New roots of all seedlings became colonized by native mycorrhizal fungi within 5 months after planting.


1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1741-1749 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Colinas ◽  
D. Perry ◽  
R. Molina ◽  
M. Amaranthus

To determine the component(s) of transfer soils responsible for increased seedling survival and growth, we inoculated planting holes with forest, plantation, and clear-cut soils that were (i) treated with fertilizer to test for effects of nutrients; treated with biocides to test for effects of (ii) microarthropods or nematodes, (iii) protozoa, (iv) fungi, and (v) bacteria; (vi) pasteurized; (vii) Tyndallized; and (viii) untreated. Odds of survival were increased by inoculation with untreated plantation soils, but not if they were fertilized or treated with dimethoate + carbofuran (grazercide), fumagillin (protozoacide), or oxytetracycline + penicillin (bactericide). Addition of untreated forest soil did not increase survival. For all soils, survival odds were increased by captan (fungicide), pasteurization, and Tyndallization. Treatments affected seedling dry weights differently than survival. Untreated plantation and forest soil transfers increased dry weights whereas neither did when treated with dimethoate + carbofuran. Dry weights of seedlings given clear-cut soil were increased by fertilization, pasteurization, and Tyndallization of the soil; the latter two treatments also increased the number of short roots. We hypothesize that stimulation of seedling growth by soil transfers was related to an increased rate of nutrient mineralization due to microbivorous soil animals contained within the transfer soils. Soil transfers may have enhanced seedling survival by at least two mechanisms: (i) by providing a safe site for beneficial rhizosphere organisms to proliferate, free from competing organisms that have proliferated in the clear-cut soil; (ii) through volatile organic compounds that stimulated seedling root growth, especially ethylene, which previous studies have shown to be produced at significantly lower rates in soils of the clear-cut compared with adjacent forest soils. Further research is needed to distinguish between these possibilities.


1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
James T. Fisher ◽  
Robert W. Neumann

Containerized aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.) seedlings were planted at high-elevation sites in southern (May 1982) and northern (July 1983) New Mexico. Each plantation compared fall cultivation (20 cm depth), prior to planting the following spring or summer, with cultivation at the time of planting. Subtreatments of the tests included applications of the postemergent herbicide dalapon and the preemergents linuron, trifluralin, or simazine applied 2 to 3 weeks before planting. First season survival exceeded 75% for the best treatment at each site. Cultivation, in general, effectively reduced weed cover and improved seedling success. Fall cultivation, in particular, improved seedling survival and growth only at the relatively dry southern site. Except for spring-cultivated plots in the south, some herbicide applications improved weed control and seedling performance over cultivation alone. The combination of fall cultivation plus trifluralin is considered the best site preparatory treatment tested.


Plant Disease ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 744-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry E. Weiland ◽  
Bryan R. Beck ◽  
Anne Davis

Pythium species are common soilborne oomycetes that occur in forest nursery soils throughout the United States. Numerous species have been described from nursery soils. However, with the exception of P. aphanidermatum, P. irregulare, P. sylvaticum, and P. ultimum, little is known about the potential for other Pythium species found in nursery soils to cause damping-off of tree seedlings. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the pathogenicity and virulence of 44 Pythium isolates representing 16 species that were originally recovered from soil at three forest nurseries in Washington and Oregon. Seeds of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) were planted into soil infested with each of the isolates. Seedling survival, the number of surviving seedlings with necrotic root lesions, and taproot length were evaluated 4 weeks later. Responses of Douglas-fir to inoculation varied significantly depending on Pythium species and isolate. Eight species (P. dissotocum, P. irregulare, P. aff. macrosporum, P. mamillatum, P. aff. oopapillum, P. rostratifingens, P. sylvaticum, and P. ultimum var. ultimum) significantly reduced the number of surviving seedlings compared to the noninoculated treatment. However, all Pythium species caused a greater percentage of seedlings to develop root lesions (total mean 40%) than was observed from noninoculated seedlings (17%). Taproot length varied little among Pythium treatments and was not a useful character for evaluating pathogenicity. Results confirm the ability of P. irregulare, P. mamillatum, and P. ultimum var. ultimum to cause damping-off of Douglas-fir seedlings, and are indicative that other species such as P. dissotocum, P. aff. macrosporum, P. aff. oopapillum, P. rostratifingens, and P. sylvaticum may also be responsible for seedling loss.


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