The Use of Deep Container and Heterogeneous Substrate as Potentially Effective Nursery Practice to Produce Good Quality Nodal Seedlings of Populus sibirica Tausch

Abstract

Nursery practices are considered major factors influencing seedling quality, which are likely to be maintained in the early establishment phase in the field. Here, we investigated the effects of container depth and substrate heterogeneity on the growth of Populus sibirica nodal seedlings to suggest an effective nursery practice for producing quality seedlings appropriate for forest establishment in a dry environment. We used two substrate heterogeneities (homogeneous and heterogeneous) and two container depth treatments (30 and 60 cm). Variations in root collar diameter (RCD) growth, height growth, stem and root biomass, root to stem ratio, and root mass in the first 15 cm depth from the soil surface across the treatments were computed. Results revealed that both substrate heterogeneity and container depth had no significant effects on the RCD and height growth of P. sibirica seedlings but significantly improved their root and stem biomass. Seedlings in the 60 cm containers generally accumulated higher root biomass than those in the 30 cm containers. There was an interaction effect of container depth and substrate heterogeneity treatments on root and total dry mass, such that seedlings grown in the 60 cm container using heterogeneous substrate resulted in the highest root and total biomass. Analyses of proportional root growth in the upper 15 cm of the containers compared to the total indicated that both the main effects of deeper containers (60 cm) and heterogeneous substrate have fewer roots at this depth, indicating a greater root density in the bottom of the deeper containers. Therefore, deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate may be used as an effective nursery practice to produce seedlings with root traits potentially suitable for harsh conditions, such as arid and semi-arid environments. However, further studies using other seedling morphological traits in conjunction with field-trial tests are needed for a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate in producing good quality seedlings potentially suitable in a dry environment.

The Effect of Seed Size on Germination and Seedling Growth in Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.)

“…As a result, the proper sowing rate can be selected to produce the optimum number of seedlings [5]. The quality of seedlings obtained from the nursery will affect the hardening phase of the seedling [6], as well as re-establishment in the field, and has an important role in its subsequent productivity [7,8]. Evaluation of seedling quality is based on the monitoring of growth parameters, such as the morphological attributes of shoot height, root collar diameter and root systems [9].…”

Efeito de diferentes volumes e tipos de recipientes no crescimento inicial de mudas de Adenanthera pavonina L

“…Estudos confirmam a relação do aumento do tamanho do recipiente e o aumento na produção total de biomassa (PARK et al, 2021;POORTER et al, 2012). Tomaz et al (2020), verificaram que o crescimento das mudas de Ormosia excelsa é influenciado pelo tamanho do recipiente e que o recipiente de maior volume (sacos de 2 dm³), proporcionaram as melhores taxas de crescimento.…”

Effects of Decapitation, Water-Deficit Stress, and Pot Size on Morpho-Anatomy and Physiology of Pterocarpus indicus

“…Water is the most important resource in seedling establishment and survival in the actual planting sites, particularly during summer, in addition to excessive solar radiation and nutrientpoor soils (Chirino et al 2011;Jiménez et al 2007). Seedling establishment (i.e., elongation and emergence) is an important phase of the plant's life cycle, as seedlings can be exposed to different levels of water-deficit stress (Park et al 2021), inducing transplant shock (Haase and Rose 1993). In particular, prolonged water stress harms many aspects of plant physiology, resulting in decreased plant growth and development, metabolic disturbance, and death (Hernandez et al 2023;Jaleel et al 2008;Pallardy 2010).…”

“…Seedling establishment (i.e., elongation and emergence) is an important phase of the plant's life cycle, as seedlings can be exposed to different levels of water-deficit stress (Park et al 2021), inducing transplant shock (Haase and Rose 1993). In particular, prolonged water stress harms many aspects of plant physiology, resulting in decreased plant growth and development, metabolic disturbance, and death (Hernandez et al 2023;Jaleel et al 2008;Pallardy 2010). Unfortunately, knowledge of seedling responses to water-deficit stress, particularly in forest tree species, is still scarce.…”