Autumn fertilization of Quercus ilex ssp. ballota (Desf.) Samp. nursery seedlings: effects on morpho-physiology and field performance

Abstract

& Background The Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) is an evergreen tree widely distributed in the western Mediterranean Basin. Forest restoration programs using this species have enjoyed only limited success, and knowledge concerning the effect of fertilization on plant quality and post-transplantation response is sparse. & Methods We assessed the effect of autumn fertilization using different doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (70.0 mg N, 30.5 mg P and 58.1 mg K during the growing phase for all plants; and 30.0 vs 1.5 mg N, 13.1 vs 0.3 mg P and 24.9 vs 0.5 mg K during the hardening phase, depending on the fertilization treatment) on the seedling characteristics and field performance of Holm oak. & Results and Conclusions Autumn fertilization, especially with N, did not decrease plant quality but improved overall growth, root growth capacity, cold hardiness, and the nutritional content of nursery-grown seedlings. However, autumn fertilization had only a small effect on field performance, which was affected only by K fertilization, probably because of the adequate N and P nutrient status of all the plants and the mild weather conditions of the field plot. In our site, which had a mild winter climate, late autumn out-planting was more successful than was midwinter out-planting.

Effect of fall-applied nitrogen on growth, nitrogen storage and frost hardiness of bareroot Larix olgensis seedlings

“…Franco (van den Driessche 1985, Birchler et al 2001, Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (Fernández et al 2007), and Quercus ilex L. (Oliet et al 2011, Andivia et al 2011, 2012. Fall fertilization at the nursery can build nutrient reserves in seedlings, especially in the foliage (van den Driessche 1985).…”

“…The interaction of fertilization and frost hardiness has focused on evergreen tree species, such as Pinus resinosa (Islam et al 2009), Picea abies (Fløistad and Kohmann 2004), Picea mariana (Bigras et al 1996), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Birchler et al 2001), and Quercus ilex (Andivia et al 2011(Andivia et al , 2012, with little attention paid to deciduous tree species. In most forest nurseries, frost hardiness is commonly evaluated using freeze-induced electrolyte leakage (FIEL) (Bigras and Colombo 2001) because, compared to the whole-plant freeze test, FIEL yields a more rapid, sensitive, and objective predictor of differences in tissue frost hardiness (Burr et al 1990).…”

Growth, Yield and Water Use Effeciency of Forage <i>Sorghum</i> as Affected by Npk Fertilizer and Deficit Irrigation

“…In particular, nitrogen (N) can affect the cold and drought tolerance, yet there is no clear consensus on the magnitude or direction of its effect. Low tissue N concentration may hinder either cold or drought hardening [32]. Proper available nitrogen in soils enhanced the growth of plants and lowered the adverse effect on growth caused by water stress [33].…”

Autumn fertilization with nitrogen improves nutritional status, cold hardiness and the oxidative stress response of Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp) nursery seedlings

“…Mineral nutrients (N, P, K) were only determined in leaves because Andivia et al (2011) reported that differences in nutrient concentration and content of plants given different N fertilization treatments were much greater in leaves than in other tissues. To obtain leaf samples sufficiently large for nutrient analysis, three groups per dose of N were formed.…”

“…N fertilization can improve photosynthetic rate, root growth, and water-use efficiency (Fernández et al 2006;Lambers et al 1990). A previous study with Holm oak has reported that N has a greater effect than P or K on morphological and nutritional status and improvement of seedling frost tolerance (Andivia et al 2011). However, the latter assay only studied two levels of N fertilization and the nursery fertilization programs for this species require additional refinement ).…”