Foliar nutrient status and fascicle weight of lodgepole pine after nitrogen and sulphur fertilization in the interior of British Columbia

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 792-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.P. Brockley ◽  
F.J. Sheran

The effects of nitrogen and nitrogen + sulphur fertilization on the first-year fascicle weight and foliar nutrient status of immature, thinned lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) were evaluated at seven locations in the interior of British Columbia. The results indicate that sulphur deficiencies, either aggravated or induced by nitrogen fertilization, may limit the responsiveness of lodgepole pine to nitrogen additions. At four locations, combined sulphur and nitrogen additions improved the sulphur status of fertilized trees and significantly increased the weight of fascicles produced during the first year after treatment compared with that achieved with nitrogen alone. Ammonium sulphate was a superior sulphur source compared with elemental sulphur–sodium bentonite prills and also was readily taken up by trees. The oxidation of the elemental sulphur prills was apparently too slow to satisfy sulphur requirements in the first year. Increasing the sulphur application rate from 50 to 100 kg/ha generally gave only small improvements in first-year fascicle weight response despite a significant improvement in foliar sulphur concentration and content. The responsiveness to sulphur fertilization was not consistent across all sites. Further characterization of sites that are responsive and unresponsive to sulphur additions is needed to more accurately diagnose sulphur deficiencies and predict responsiveness to sulphur additions.

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.I. Swift ◽  
R.P. Brockley

Factorial combinations of nitrogen (0, 100, and 200 kg/ha) and a "complete" fertilizer (0 and 1170 kg/ha) were applied to 10 spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss and hybrids) plantations in the central interior of British Columbia. Postfertilization patterns of foliar nutrient concentration and needle weight were used to evaluate the nutrient status and fertilization response potential of treated stands. When applied alone, N and the complete fertilizer generally had little effect on the weight of needles produced in the first year after treatment. Combined applications, however, often resulted in large responses. In 8 of the 10 installations, combined applications of N + complete fertilizer were significantly more effective than N alone in stimulating first-year needle weight. Which nutrient in the complete fertilizer is responsible for the increased needle-weight response cannot be stated conclusively. However, examination of foliar nutrient concentration data, combined with graphical analyses of relative differences in needle weight and nutrient concentration of added and nonadded nutrients, indicate that sulphur (and possibly potassium) may have a strong controlling influence on the N fertilization response potential of these stands. Systematic testing must be undertaken to verify these tentative diagnoses.


2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-100
Author(s):  
Scott A. Derby ◽  
L. Eric Hinesley

Abstract Containerized Atlantic white cedar [Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.] seedlings were fertilized with five rates (0.0, 2.4, 4.8, 7.2, and 9.6 kg/m3) (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 lb/yd3) of controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) [Osmocote 15N–4.0P–10.0K (15N–9P2O5–12K2O), 12–14 month southern formulation, with micros; and Polyon 18N–2.6P–10.0K (18N–6P2O5–12K2O), 9-month formulation, with micros]. Height, stem diameter, dry mass, and foliar nutrient concentrations were evaluated after 16 weeks. Growth was affected by fertilizer source and application rate, with no interaction. In general, the response to increasing fertilization was quadratic. Osmocote yielded larger plants than Polyon, probably owing to its higher P content. Osmocote (4.8 to 7.2 kg/m3) (8 to 12 lb/yd3) or Polyon (7.2 kg/m3) (12 lb/yd3) is suggested for container-grown seedlings the first year.


1968 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. L. Pringle ◽  
A. L. van Ryswyk

A factorial fertilizer trial using rates of 0, 224 and 448 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O in all combinations, was established on a sedge bog in the Cariboo area of British Columbia. Yields taken in the subsequent 5 years showed that a complete fertilizer in a 1:1:2 ratio was most efficient. The most limiting of the three elements was P, followed by K. Nitrogen had an effect in the first year only. Yearly fluctuations in yields and certain fertilizer response could be related to monthly precipitation. Tissue analysis revealed that, where supplied, N and P were increased in the first year only while K was increased in all years by the higher application rate. Presumably, it was taken up in luxury amounts in the first year. Digestibility of the forage was not affected by fertilizer treatment. It was concluded that hay quantity increased through the use of complete fertilizers and that elemental ratio is of equal importance to the rate. The entire picture was not complete as the test was still giving significant carry–over responses 5 years after the initial harvest.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob O. Boateng ◽  
Jean L. Heineman ◽  
Lorne Bedford ◽  
Amanda F. Linnell Nemec

We examined the effects of low-impact broadcast-burning and disk-trenching planting position (control, hinge, trench) on soil characteristics and lodgepole pine foliar nutrition and growth over two decades at a subboreal site in British Columbia, Canada. Broadcast burning had virtually no effect on either the bulk density or chemical properties of soil. In contrast, significant reductions in soil bulk density and increases in soil nutrient availability persisted for 20 years in hinge position soils relative to undisturbed (control) soil between trenches. These effects on bulk density and nutrient availability are associated with significant differences in pine size by year 6. Burning and planting positions interacted significantly in their effect on pine height, diameter, and stem volume for at least 19 years. Pine survival was high regardless of burning or planting position. Neither broadcast burning nor planting position significantly affected lodgepole pine foliar nutrient status in this study.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennedy Boateng ◽  
Kathy J. Lewis

We studied spore dispersal by Dothistroma septosporum, causal agent of a serious outbreak of red band needle blight in lodgepole pine plantations in northwest British Columbia. Spore abundance was assessed at different distances and heights from inoculum sources and microclimatic factors were recorded during two consecutive years. Conidia were observed on spore traps from June to September during periods of rainfall. It was rare to detect spores more than 2 m away from inoculum sources. The timing and number of conidia dispersed were strongly tied to the climatic variables, particularly rainfall and leaf wetness. Should the trend toward increased spring and summer precipitation in the study area continue, the results suggest that disease spread and intensification will also increase. Increasing the planting distances between lodgepole pine trees through mixed species plantations and overall reduction in use of lodgepole pine for regeneration in wet areas are the best strategies to reduce the spread of the disease and enhance future productivity of plantations in the study area.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Teresa A. Newsome ◽  
Jean L. Heineman ◽  
Amanda F. Linnell Nemec

Critical height ratios for predicting competition between trembling aspen and lodgepole pine were identified in six juvenile stands in three south-central British Columbia ecosystems. We used a series of regression analyses predicting pine stem diameter from the density of neighbouring aspen in successively shorter relative height classes to identify the aspen-pine height ratio that maximizedR2. Critical height ratios varied widely among sites when stands were 8–12 years old but, by age 14–19, had converged at 1.25–1.5. MaximumR2values at age 14–19 ranged from 13.4% to 69.8%, demonstrating that the importance of aspen competition varied widely across a relatively small geographic range. Logistic regression also indicated that the risk of poor pine vigour in the presence of aspen varied between sites. Generally, the degree of competition, risk to pine vigour, and size of individual aspen contributing to the models declined along a gradient of decreasing ecosystem productivity.


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