Torrefied wood effects on the seedling quality of Zelkova serrata and Fraxinus rhynchophylla in a containerized production system

Abstract

Biochar can be used as a kind of soil amendment in crop production, but there are few studies on containerized seedling production in forestry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the amount of torrefied wood to mix with growing medium for Zelkova serrata and Fraxinus rhynchophylla seedling production in a containerized system. We used torrefied wood made from chips of Quercus accutissima, which was mixed with growing medium by 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% in volume. We applied two levels of 0.5 g/L (1£) and 1.0 g/L (2£) commercial fertilizer for fertilization treatment. Generally, growth parameters such as height, root collar diameter, and dry weight were comparable among 0%, 10%, and 20% mixed ratios, but those at 30% and 40% mixed ratio were lower than other mixed ratios. The 2£ fertilization significantly increased height by 29%, root collar diameter by 18%, total dry weight by 52%, and quality index by 31.4% compared to the 1£ fertilization across mixed ratios. Our results suggest that torrefied wood can be substitutable for 20% of the growth medium in total volume in containerized Zelkova serrata and Fraxinus rhynchophylla seedling production systems.

Effects of torrefied wood chip and vermicompost application on vegetation growth and nutrient uptake in the Saemangeum reclaimed land

“…We used wood chips of Quercus acutissima because dead or damaged trees of this species can be easily obtained in Korean forests. Moreover, the growth performance of seedlings was improved in the growing medium substituted by torrefied wood chips of Q. acutissima in previous studies Han et al 2017). A wood roaster was used to torrefy wood chips of Q. acutissima.…”