Mineral nutrition in relation to the Norway spruce forest decline in the region Horny Spis (Northern Slovakia)

Abstract

ABSTRACT:In this contribution we present the results of analyses of selected mineral nutrients in assimilatory tissues of spruce trees at different developmental phases (plants, adult trees) in the region Horný Spiš. The very close connection between mineral nutrient cycling and other physiological processes in the plants has been well recognised. The presented analyses of mineral nutrient cycling were done within comprehensive eco-physiological research assessing the physiology and health status of spruce stands in the study area. The research was conducted directly in the stand (Hliníky locality, Horný Spiš -two research plots: 1. plot with spruce stand in advanced decline, 2. control plot -without visible decline symptoms) and, at the same time as a pot experiment. The objective of the pot experiment was to verify the supposed negative influence of soil environment (in the locality with advanced decline of spruce stands) on the growth of spruce trees and their mineral nutrient conditions. The analyses of the material sampled from the stands revealed high amounts of manganese (Mn T ) that were in the toxicity range on both examined plots. Another negative finding was high amounts of toxic aluminium, primarily in needles of adult trees growing on the plot with symptoms of acute stand decline. This reflects a very low value of pH/H 2 O -3.7 (pH/KCl -3 to 2.8) and total exhaustion of the soil suffering, moreover, from the lack of soil water. As for the differences in amounts of individual macronutrients between the plot with intensive decline and the control plot, no significant differences were found, with the exception of Fe. On the other hand, evident significant differences in risk elements Pb, Hg and Al were found. As for the differences in nutrient contents in spruce seedlings in the pot experiment (variants 1 to 6), we can see significant differences in macronutrient contents (N, P, Ca, K, Mn), in some cases also in risk element contents (Al).

Evaluating the Remote Sensing and Inventory-Based Estimation of Biomass in the Western Carpathians

“…The conversion of uneven-aged, mixed species stands to spruce plantations in the 19th and 20th centuries [41] homogenized species composition and stand structure at the stand and landscape scales. This in turn led to lower tree resistance to stress factors such as air pollution, insect pests, diseases, and extreme weather events, ultimately resulting in the heavy spruce dieback now being experienced throughout the region [42][43][44]. We found spruce monocultures to be easily identifiable in satellite imagery due to their homogenous spectral response.…”

How pollution legacies and land use histories shape post-communist forest cover trends in the Western Carpathians

“…At the same time, Hunova (2001Hunova ( , 2003 reports ongoing high wet deposition levels between 1996 and 1999 in the Ostrava industrial region, located close to the western Beskidy Mountains in the Czech Republic. Heavy metal and nitrogen deposition (Fiala et al, 2008;Novotný et al, 2008), the acidification of soils and unfavorable nutrition conditions for spruce forest also still prevail (Ditmarová et al, 2007;Małek and Barszcz, 2008).…”

“…A dramatic increase in forest damage and spruce forest dieback has recently been reported from field-based assessments in the Western Carpathians (Ditmarová et al, 2007;Grodzki, 2007;Fiala et al, 2008;Šrá mek et al, 2008). While field-based evidence across the Carpathians is abundant, no study has yet compared related forest cover change at landscape scales and across country borders.…”

Distribution of Mineral Substances in Different Wood Tissues of European Larch (Larix decidua Mill.)

“…N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S are considered major or macro-nutrients, because they are required in large quantities that range between 1 to 150 g per kg of plant dry matter. Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, B, Mo, Cl and Ni are minor or micro-nutrients that are required in amounts from 0.1 to 100 mg per kg of dry matter (Henry et al, 1992; Merilä and Derome, 2008; Ditmarova et al, 2007).…”