scholarly journals Large Planting Stock Type and Mechanical Release Effects on the Establishment Success ofPicea glaucaPlantations in Quebec, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
Benoit Lafleur ◽  
Vincent Roy ◽  
Josianne DeBlois

We established four experimental plantations to evaluate the main and interaction effects of timing (year of application) of mechanical release and stock type (containerized or bareroot) on the establishment success of largePicea glaucaseedlings eight years after outplanting on high-competition sites in Quebec (Canada). We also monitored percent cover and height of target vegetation groups as well as the amount of photosynthetically active radiation available to crop trees. Our results indicate that the use of large containerized or bareroot stock had limited effects on seedling growth, although bareroot seedlings presented higher mortality than containerized seedlings. Mechanical release enhanced seedling growth, compared to the control. Delaying treatment by two years impacted crop tree dimensions, although differences were minimal. Survival was not affected. We conclude that large containerized seedlings should be favoured over bareroot stock for reforestation on high-competition sites and that the release guidelines developed for standard size seedlings are applicable to the large dimensionP. glaucastock tested in this study.

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1015-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urban Nilsson ◽  
Göran Örlander

A field experiment was established between 1989 and 1993 to study the effects of competing vegetation on growth of planted Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings. Effects of clearcut age, scarification (mounding), herbicide treatment, and seedling stock type were investigated 5 years after planting. On fresh clearcuts, amounts of vegetation were negligible, whereas 2.1-3.7 Mg·ha-1 was found on 4-year-old and older clearcuts. Soil temperatures were about 10% higher in mounds than in undisturbed ground, while herbicide and clearcut age only marginally affected soil temperatures. Seedlings planted on old clearcuts showed significant reductions in growth due to interference from vegetation. Five years after planting, the reduction in growth corresponded to about 1 year's growth. Most of the interaction between seedlings and vegetation occurred during the first 2 years after planting. Thus, scarification was just as effective as repeated herbicide treatments in reducing competition from vegetation. Differences in periods of drought between years could largely explain variation in leading shoot length. However, leading shoot length was affected in the same way irrespective of vegetation control treatments. Five years after planting, the relative differences in diameter between bare-root and containerized seedlings were the same as at the time of planting.


1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Conner ◽  
John R. Toliver ◽  
George R. Askew

Abstract Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum [L.] Rich.) seedlings were planted in a Louisiana crayfish pond to evaluate the effect of planting date on growth and survival. Storage techniques also were evaluated against containerized seedlings to determine the best method of holding seedlings fordelayed plantings. Seedlings planted in February had better survival and grew better than seedlings planted in July. Cold storage of bareroot seedlings was superior to tub storage or containerization for both survival and height growth. Planting baldcypress seedlings in crayfish ponds representsa viable multiple-use alternative for aquaculture operations. South. J. Appl. For. 17(1):54-57.


2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 845-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Shishido ◽  
Christopher P Chanway

Seeds of two hybrid spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) ecotypes were inoculated with one of six plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) strains previously shown to be able to stimulate spruce growth in controlled environments. The resulting seedlings were grown in the greenhouse for 17 weeks before outplanting at four reforestation sites. Inoculation with five of the six strains caused significant seedling growth promotion in the greenhouse, which necessitated analysis of relative growth rates (RGR) to evaluate seedling performance in the field. Four months after outplanting, most strains enhanced spruce shoot or root RGRs in the field, but seedling growth responses were strain specific. For example, Pseudomonas strain Ss2-RN significantly increased both shoot and root RGRs by 10-234% at all sites, but increases of 28-70% were most common. In contrast, Bacillus strain S20-R was ineffective at all outplanting sites. In addition, seedlings inoculated with four of the six strains had significantly less shoot injury than control seedlings at all sites. Evaluation of root colonization by PGPR indicated that bacterial population declines were not related to spruce growth response variability in the field. Our results indicate that once plant growth promotion is induced in the greenhouse, seedling RGR can increase by more than 100% during the first growing season in the field. However RGR increases of 21-47% were more common and may be more representative of the magnitude of biomass increases that can result from PGPR inoculation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K Schnake ◽  
Scott D Roberts ◽  
John L Willis ◽  
John D Kushla ◽  
Ian A Munn

Abstract This study was established to evaluate underplanting as a method of reestablishing a shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) component to a dry upland hardwood stand in the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States. Replicated treatment plots were harvested to retain four levels (approximately 0, 3, 7, and 10 m2 of basal area per hectare) of residual overstory density. One-year-old containerized seedlings with both smaller (93.4 cm3) and larger (113.1 cm3) plugs and bareroot seedlings were underplanted beneath the residual overstory treatments. After five growing seasons, seedling survival averaged 61% and was not meaningfully affected by residual overstory density. Seedling height growth ranged from 1.42 m to 2.61 m and was inversely related to residual overstory density. Containerized seedlings with larger plugs had the highest survival (77.4%) and best height growth (2.11 m), followed by containerized seedlings with smaller plugs (64.3%, 1.76 m) and bareroot seedlings (40.2%, 1.85 m). The results of this study indicated that underplanting containerized seedlings, particularly those with higher plug volume and greater plug depth, was a suitable option for reestablishing shortleaf pine on drier, hardwood dominated upland sites in the Piedmont. However, even low levels of overstory retention suppressed seedling height growth after a few years. Study Implications The study was conducted on a dry upland site typical of the North Carolina Piedmont. Retaining up to 10 m2 ha–1 of oak and hickory overstory basal area did not strongly affect survival among underplanted shortleaf pine seedlings after five growing seasons. However, overstory cover as low as 3 m2 ha–1 had negative effects on height growth of underplanted seedlings over the same time period. Height growth declined as overstory density increased. Containerized seedlings had better survival than bareroot seedlings. Further improvements in survival and height growth were realized by planting containerized seedlings with higher plug volume and greater plug depth.


1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Shishido ◽  
Christopher P Chanway

Naturally regenerating hybrid spruce seedlings (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss beta Picea engelmannii Parry) were collected from sites near Mackenzie, Salmon Arm, and Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Bacteria were isolated from roots and screened in greenhouse trials for their ability to enhance spruce growth. Three strains belonging to the genus Pseudomonas were selected for study based on their disparate geographic origins and their capacity to consistently stimulate spruce seedling growth in screening trials. Factorial experiments were performed in the greenhouse to evaluate the effectiveness of these Pseudomonas strains with different spruce ecotypes. Factors tested were spruce seed sources, Pseudomonas isolates, and forest floor soils originating from different sites. Three levels of each factor were studied: one spruce seedlot, one Pseudomonas isolate, and one forest floor type each originated from a site at Mackenzie, Salmon Arm, and Williams Lake, British Columbia. Fourteen weeks after treatments were established, spruce biomass accumulation was greatest when spruce ecotypes were inoculated with bacteria originating from the same geographical area as spruce seed. However, Pseudomonas strains originating from sites other than the seed collection area also stimulated seedling growth significantly, rendering the difference in growth promotion between bacterial treatments small and insignificant. In addition, spruce growth promotion was not enhanced when seed was treated with combinations of Pseudomonas strains and forest floor soils originating from the same forest ecosystem. We conclude that specificity between spruce ecotypes and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria strains can be detected under carefully controlled conditions, thereby supporting the hypothesis that growth-promoting bacteria may adapt to their plant hosts. However, the growth advantage accruing to seedlings treated with bacteria originating from the same ecosystem is small and suggests that it is not necessary to match Pseudomonas strains with spruce ecotypes and soil types for effective seedling growth promotion.Key words: Pseudomonas, spruce, specificity, growth promotion.


2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1669-1681 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Krasowski ◽  
J N Owens

The relationship between certain morphological characteristics of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) planting stock (STK) and post-planting seedling performance was evaluated. Root system size at planting, its expansion, and its capacity to conduct water during the first post-planting weeks were determined. These characteristics were related to the performance of STK planted on two forest sites and measured for three growing seasons and to the performance of seedlings grown in large wooden boxes buried in the soil outdoors for one growing season (grown without competition from other vegetation). The compared STK were (i) polystyroblock grown, (ii) polystyroblock grown with chemical root pruning, and (iii) peat-board grown with mechanical root pruning. After three growing seasons on forest sites, seedlings with mechanically pruned roots grew more above ground than did seedlings from polystyroblock containers. This difference in seedling growth performance was even more significant for seedlings grown in wooden boxes. Of these, the mechanically pruned seedlings grew more not only above the ground but they also produced larger root systems by the end of the first growing season. This was despite the initially significantly smaller root systems of mechanically pruned seedlings, compared with the other two STK. Early (5-7 weeks after planting) post-planting root expansion patterns in the three STK were significantly different, with the roots of mechanically pruned seedlings growing less than the roots in the other two STK. In spite of this, pressure-probe measured hydraulic conductivity and water flux through root systems increased during the first post-planting weeks in mechanically pruned seedlings while declining or changing little in the other two STK. It was concluded that root system size at planting and its early post-planting expansion did not relate well to the root system hydraulic properties or to the post-planting seedling growth performance.


1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2044-2048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip G. Comeau ◽  
Thomas F. Braumandl ◽  
Chang-Yi Xie

To examine the effects of overtopping vegetation on solar irradiance reaching Engelmann spruce (Piceaengelmannii Parry) seedlings and on crop seedling performance, neighborhood studies were established at six sites in mixed shrub–herb and fireweed communities of the Interior Cedar–Hemlock zone of southern British Columbia. These communities were dominated by mixtures of fireweed (Epilobiumangustifolium L.), thimbleberry (Rubusparviflorus Nutt.), red raspberry (Rubusidaeus L.), and (or) bracken fern (Pteridiumaquilinum (L.) Kuhn). Three hundred and eighty-eight planted Engelmann spruce seedlings, between 1 and 5 years of age, served as plot centers for measurements in 1990 and 1991. Vegetation had been clipped around 109 of these seedlings in 1988, 1989, and 1990. Seedling diameter and height were measured in the autumn of 1990 and 1991. Vegetation cover, vegetation height, and the fraction of full sunlight reaching the top branches of each spruce seedling were measured in midsummer of 1991. A simple competition index (CI), based on visually estimated percent cover, height of each species present within 1.26 m of the crop seedling, and crop-seedling height, can be used to estimate the fraction of full sunlight reaching crop seedlings. Measurements of transmittance through vegetation canopies are correlated with this competition index and could be useful as a separate, objective assessment of competition levels. Seedling growth was related to both seedling-needle biomass (at the beginning of the year) and either CI or the amount of light reaching crop seedlings during midsummer. Growth increased as needle biomass or irradiance reaching the seedling increased and decreased as CI increased. Since CI can be calculated from simple field measurements and since seedling growth is related to CI, this index has potential utility in evaluating the need for operational release treatments. Transmittance measurement provides an equally useful, and potentially more objective approach to evaluating the need for release treatment. Results from this study suggest that cumulative effects of competition result at least in part from effects on growth of seedling leaf mass.


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