The effect of desiccation and rough-handling on the survival and early growth of ash, beech, birch and oak seedlings

Abstract

-Fraxinus excelsior L., Fagus sylvatica L., Betula pendula Roth. and Quercus robur L. seedlings were grown for 1 year with or without an undercutting treatment in July of their first growing season. In the following March, seedlings were lifted from the nursery and subjected to 0, 12 or 36 h desiccation followed by 0 or 10 drops from 1 m. Morphological measurements, moisture content and root electrolyte leakage were determined. Field performance was measured after 1 year. The effects of undercutting, roughhandling and exposure were highly species dependent. Undercutting tended to improve both moisture content and root electrolyte leakage but decrease the root/shoot (R/S) ratio. Rough-handling increased fine root leakage and decreased final height and diameter but had no significant effect on survival. Desiccation had a major effect on the electrolyte leakage from fine roots, increasing it, on average, three-fold over a 36-h exposure. Ash and oak survival was high irrespective of desiccation treatment, whereas survival of beech and especially of birch was impaired by drying. The effect of rough-handling was minor compared with desiccation but there was a detrimental interaction between dropping and 36-h desiccation on birch performance. Species differences in survival were related to differences in R/S ratios, stem

Biomass allocation in natural regeneration of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies trees in Italian Alps

“…For the shoot the water content is higher in the European beech, while for the root it is higher in Norway spruce. These results confi rm the data of McKay et al (1999) which show that in seedlings of many species -such as beech and some Picea species -the water content in the root system is inversely proportional to the tree dia meter. Water content of the saplings is lower than that of seedlings for both species: Norway spruce 79.7% (above-ground component) and 76.9% (below-ground component), European beech 90.0% (aboveground component) and 110.3% (belowground component).…”

Endurcissement au froid et réponse des semis de Juglans nigra transplantés après exposition à différentes modalités de stockage

“…to examine seasonal variation in stress resistance in response to heat treatments applied in vitro. Past studies have identified relationships between fine root EL and seedling physiological quality or field performance potential in various hardwood species (e.g., McKay et al, 1999;Garriou et al, 2000), though O'Reilly et al (2002) reported no correlation with height growth in freshly lifted or cold stored ash and maple. As in our study, sampling EL of stem (Deans et al, 1995;Sarvaš, 2001) and root collar tissues (Schute and Sarvaš, 1999) has also proved useful in evaluating seedling physiological activity of hardwood species.…”

“…For hardwoods, relatively little information is available. Most hardwood EL research in the past was performed using roots of European species (Edwards, 1998;McKay et al, 1999;O'Reilly et al, 2003). Many important hardwood species of eastern North America, including black walnut, have not been extensively studied.…”

“…Sampling of foliage is particularly applicable to evergreens, which can be collected and tested throughout the dormant period. Roots (McKay et al, 1999) and stem tissues (Colombo et al, 1995) have also been used. Efficacy of EL in predicting hardiness has resulted in its operational use at some nurseries, particularly for determining lifting windows and storability (Tinus, 1996).…”

Influence of nitrogen fertilisation on biometric features of two-year-old seedlings of pedunculate oak subjected for root pruning

“…It is believed that the greater the value of seedlings, the larger is the ratio between the mass of the root system and the mass of the above-ground part. McKay et al (1999) showed that the survival rate of pruned seedlings of beech in the cultivation is higher compared to seedlings that were not pruned.…”