scholarly journals Compost-Containing Substrates and Their Effect on Posttransplant Growth of Containerized Tree Seedlings

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 289-296
Author(s):  
Bruce Roberts

Greenhouse studies were undertaken to determine the influence of composted media on the posttransplant growth of containerized red maple, sugar maple, and green ash seedlings. Before planting, the chemical and physical properties of each substrate were measured. For media containing composted biosolids, pH was significantly higher, whereas electrical conductivity, air-filled porosity, and total pore space were significantly lower than in a composted medium without biosolids. For composted substrates containing at least some soil, bulk density, particle density, and container capacity were all significantly greater than for composts without any soil. Growth of red maple was about the same in a noncomposted soilless medium (Metro-mix 360) as it was in substrates containing biosolid compost. Height growth, total biomass, and root biomass of green ash were all significantly greater for seedlings grown in Metro-mix 360 only, and the growth of sugar maple seedlings was about the same in Metro-mix 360 or in a composted substrate without biosolids (Metro-mix 560). The results of this study suggest no particular short-term growth advantage of using composted media as backfill amendments when transplanting; however, the addition of composts could be beneficial in improving the chemical and physical properties of native soils, particularly urban soils containing very low levels of organic matter.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz F. Pires ◽  
André B. Pereira

Soil porosity (ϕ) is of a great deal for environmental studies due to the fact that water infiltrates and suffers redistribution in the soil pore space. Many physical and biochemical processes related to environmental quality occur in the soil porous system. Representative determinations ofϕare necessary due to the importance of this physical property in several fields of natural sciences. In the current work, two methods to evaluateϕwere analyzed by means of gamma-ray attenuation technique. The first method uses the soil attenuation approach through dry soil and saturated samples, whereas the second one utilizes the same approach but taking into account dry soil samples to assess soil bulk density and soil particle density to determineϕ. The results obtained point out a good correlation between both methods. However, whenϕis obtained through soil water content at saturation and a 4 mm collimator is used to collimate the gamma-ray beam the first method also shows good correlations with the traditional one.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1521-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.D. Canham ◽  
A.R. Berkowitz ◽  
V.R. Kelly ◽  
G.M. Lovett ◽  
S.V. Ollinger ◽  
...  

We conducted a greenhouse experiment to determine how differences among tree species in allocation of biomass to roots versus shoots affected their responses to different combinations of light, water, and soil nutrients. Across a full range of light levels, we were specifically interested in examining the sensitivity of tree seedlings to additional reductions in aboveground growth due to soil resource limitation, and the relative sensitivity of seedlings to water versus nutrient stress under different light regimes. The four tree species used in our experiment included two species that are the most common initial tree invaders of abandoned agricultural lands (old fields) in the Hudson Valley (red maple (Acerrubrum L.) and white pine (Pinusstrobus L.)) and two species that are less frequently found in old fields, but that are dominant forest species, and are noted for their tolerance of either light stress or water stress (sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) and red oak (Quercusrubra L.), respectively). At the lowest light levels (2% of full sun), there was no effect of variation in soil resource availability on shoot growth of any of the four species. At the 9% full sun light level, red maple seedlings showed clear evidence of simultaneous limitation by light, water, and nitrogen. At higher light levels (20–100% of full sun), all four species responded to variation in at least one of the two soil resources. The four species showed two contrasting patterns of allocation of biomass to roots. Red maple and white pine responded to an increase in soil resource availability by reducing relative allocation to roots and increasing aboveground growth. Sugar maple and red oak had much more conservative root allocation patterns: root allocation was high (58–75% of added biomass allocated to roots) and did not vary in response to soil resource availability. Allocation to roots was affected more strongly by variation in soil nitrogen availability than it was by soil moisture availability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Eleotério de Aquino ◽  
Milton César Costa Campos ◽  
José Marques Junior ◽  
Ivanildo Amorim de Oliveira ◽  
Daniel De Bortoli Teixeira ◽  
...  

There is a great lack of information from soil surveys in the southern part of the State of Amazonas, Brazil. The use of tools such as geostatistics may improve environmental planning, use and management. In this study, we aimed to use scaled semivariograms in sample design of soil physical properties of some environments in Amazonas. We selected five areas located in the south of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, with varied soil uses, such as forest, archaeological dark earth (ADE), pasture, sugarcane cropping, and agroforestry. Regular mesh grids were set up in these areas with 64 sample points spaced at 10 m from each other. At these points, we determined the particle size composition, soil resistance to penetration, moisture, soil bulk density and particle density, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity, and aggregate stability in water at a depth of 0.00-0.20 m. Descriptive and geostatistical analyses were performed. The sample density requirements were lower in the pasture area but higher in the forest. We concluded that managed-environments had differences in their soil physical properties compared to the natural forest; notably, the soil in the ADE environment is physically improved in relation to the others. The physical properties evaluated showed a structure of spatial dependence with a slight variability of the forest compared to the others. The use of the range parameter of the semivariogram analysis proved to be effective in determining an ideal sample density.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1143b-1143
Author(s):  
Orville M. Lindstrom

The cold hardiness of seven deciduous hardwoods, red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white oak, (Quercus alba L.), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), sweetgum (Liguidambar stryaciflua L.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.), river birch (Betula nigra L.) and black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) were evaluated weekly during the fall, winter and spring for three consecutive years. All trees evaluated were established (20-40 years old) and locatd on the Georgia Station Griffin, GA. Each species developed a maximum cold hardiness of at least -30 C by mid-January or early February each season. Response to temperature fluctuations varied with species. Red maple, for example, lost less cold hardiness due to warm mid-winter temperatures than the other species tested, while white oak tended to respond more quickly to the temperature fluctuations. Data will be presented comparing the response of cold hardiness to mid-winter temperature fluctuations for each species for the three year period.


HortScience ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann S. Buck ◽  
Michael R. Evans

Fresh parboiled rice hulls ground in a hammer mill and screened through a 1.18-mm screen and collected on a 0.18-mm screen (RH3) and particles with a specific diameter of 0.5 to 1.0 mm had total pore space (TPS), air-filled pore space (AFP), and water-holding capacity (WHC) similar to that of Canadian sphagnum peat (peat). However, RH3 had more available water, a higher bulk density (BD), and a higher particle density (PD) than peat. When blended with 20% to 40% perlite or 1 cm aged pine bark, RH3-based substrates had lower TPS, similar AFP, and lower WHC than equivalent peat-based substrates. The RH3-containing substrates had higher BD and average PD than equivalent peat-based substrates. When blended with parboiled rice hulls (PBH), RH3-based substrates had lower TPS than equivalent peat-based substrates. When blended with 20% to 40% PBH, RH3-based substrates had lower AFP than equivalent peat-based substrates. RH3-based substrates containing up to 20% PBH had lower WHC than equivalent peat-based substrates. RH3-based substrates containing 40% PBH had a higher WHC than equivalent peat-based substrates. When blended with PBH, all RH3-based substrates had higher BD and average PD than equivalent peat-based substrates. The addition of 40% RH3 to a peat-based substrate containing 20% perlite decreased substrate TPS, whereas the addition of 10% to 40% decreased AFP. The addition of 10% to 30% RH3 increased WHC. The addition of 30% RH3 to a peat-based substrate containing 20% 1 cm aged pine bark decreased substrate TPS and the addition of 20% to 40% RH3 decreased AFP. The addition of 10% RH3 increased WHC, but the addition of 20% or more RH3 did not affect WHC. The addition of 30% RH3 increased the BD, but the addition of RH3 had no effect on average PD. The addition of 20% or more and 30% or more RH3 to a peat-based substrate containing 20% PBH decreased substrate TPS and AFP, respectively. The addition 20% RH3 decreased WHC. The addition of 10% to 40% RH3 increased BD. Overall, RH3 was the ground rice hull product that had physical properties most similar to peat. Peat-based substrates in which up to 40% of the peat was replaced with RH3 had physical properties that, although different from peat controls, were within commonly recommended ranges for substrates used to grow greenhouse crops.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
Márcio Godofrêdo Rocha Lobato ◽  
Fabrício Menezes Telo Sampaio ◽  
Júlio César Azevedo Nóbrega ◽  
Mozart Martins Ferreira ◽  
Sammy Sidney Rocha Matias ◽  
...  

The tillage systems induce changes in soil structure; modify the porous space, and influence soil water and air dynamics. In this sense, it is important to evaluate these impacts on soil physical quality according to different tillage system with distinct years of implementation. The physical properties of a Oxisol at the Brazilian Cerrado with distinct tillage conditions (conventional, no-till, and a native Cerrado) with different years were compared. The study was conducted at Novo Horizonte farm, at the Cerrado region of southwest Piauí. Soil samples were collected at 0.0-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m depth in different management systems: no-till with three and five years of implantation (NT3 and NT5, respectively); conventional till with five and nine years (CC5 and CC9, respectively); and a native cerrado area. Were analyzed the aggregate stability in water, soil bulk density, particle density, macro and microporosity, total porosity and total organic carbon. The years of implementation of the tillage systems caused changes in the soil physical properties, which were more evident in the surface layer. Although improved soil physical attributes were observed in no-till after five years of implantation, a longer evaluation time is required for the studied conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-297
Author(s):  
Tara Lee Bal ◽  
Katherine Elizabeth Schneider ◽  
Dana L. Richter

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1479-1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Bazzaz ◽  
J. S. Coleman ◽  
S. R. Morse

We examined how elevated CO2 affected the growth of seven co-occurring tree species: American beech (Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh.), paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.), black cherry (Prunusserotina Ehrh.), white pine (Pinusstrobus L.), red maple (Acerrubrum L.), sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), and eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr). We also tested whether the degree of shade tolerance of species and the age of seedlings affected plant responses to enhanced CO2 levels. Seedlings that were at least 1 year old, for all species except beech, were removed while dormant from Harvard Forest, Petersham, Massachusetts. Seeds of red maple and paper birch were obtained from parent trees at Harvard Forest, and seeds of American beech were obtained from a population of beeches in Nova Scotia. Seedlings and transplants were grown in one of four plant growth chambers for 60 d (beech, paper birch, red maple, black cherry) or 100 d (white pine, hemlock, sugar maple) under CO2 levels of 400 or 700 μL•L−1. Plants were then harvested for biomass and growth determinations. The results showed that the biomass of beech, paper birch, black cherry, sugar maple, and hemlock significantly increased in elevated CO2, but the biomass of red maple and white pine only marginally increased in these conditions. Furthermore, there were large differences in the magnitude of growth enhancement by increased levels of CO2 between species, so it seems reasonable to predict that one consequence of rising levels of CO2 may be to increase the competitive ability of some species relative to others. Additionally, the three species exhibiting the largest increase in growth with increased CO2 concentrations were the shade-tolerant species (i.e., beech, sugar maple, and hemlock). Thus, elevated CO2 levels may enhance the growth of relatively shade-tolerant forest trees to a greater extent than growth of shade-intolerant trees, at least under the light and nutrient conditions of this experiment. We found no evidence to suggest that the age of tree seedlings greatly affected their response to elevated CO2 concentrations.


1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Kittredge ◽  
P. Mark S. Ashton

Abstract Browsing preferences by white-tailed deer were evaluated for 6 tree species in northeastern Connecticut. Deer density averaged 23/mile². Deer exhibited no species-specific preferences for seedlings greater than 19 in. For seedlings less than 19 in., hemlock and black birch were preferred. Red maple, sugar maple, and white pine seedlings were avoided. Red oak seedlings were neither preferred nor avoided. A much higher proportion of seedlings greater than 19.7 in. in height was browsed, regardless of species. Browsing preferences for species in the smaller seedling class, combined with a lack of preference for species in the larger class may result in future stands with less diverse tree species composition. Deer densities in excess of 23/mile² may be incompatible with regeneration of diverse forests in southern New England. North. J. Appl. For. 12(3):115-120.


1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. C. Jones ◽  
I. Alli

During the spring of 1984 and 1985, white birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh), sweet birch (B. lenta L), and yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis Britt.) were tapped to determine sap yields and syrup characteristics. These properties were compared with sap yields and syrup produced from sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh) and red maple (A. rubrum L). The sap flow seasons were as follows: white birch, 23 days (April 7–29, 1984) and 29 days (April 5 – May 3, 1985); sweet birch, 26 days (1984); yellow birch, 25 days (1985). The sap flow season for the maple species was much earlier than the birch species. Maple sap flow seasons were as follows: sugar maple, 16 days (March 28 – April 12, 1984) and 45 days (March 10 – April 23, 1985); red maple, 44 days (March 11 – April 23, 1985). Sap yields were as follows: white birch, 80.5 L in 1984 (1.0% sap) 51.0 L in 1985 (1.0% sap); sweet birch, 48.0 L in 1984 (0.5% sap); yellow birch, 28.4 L in 1985 (0.5% sap); red maple, 30.6 L in 1985 (2.3% sap); sugar maple, 53.5 L in 1985 (4.5% sap). Sap analyses showed the average total carbohydrate content of all birch saps and all maple saps was 9.2 and 24.5 g/L, respectively. The average sugar contents of the syrups from the birch saps and the maple saps were 302 and 711 g/L, respectively. The average pH of birch and maple saps were similar but the average pH of the syrups obtained from the birch saps was substantially lower than that of the syrups obtained from the maple saps.


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