Summary
Jarrah seedlings were grown in six virgin Western Australian soils for up to 27 months. Lignotubers were produced in all soils and formed 10–16% of plant dry weight. The phosphorus concentration in the lignotuber (250–800 μg g−1) was nearly twice that in the stem and roots. The lignotuber contained 10–30% of total plant phosphorus and like the leaves was a sink for phosphorus. In one lateritic soil the phosphorus concentrations of lignotuber and stem barks were similar. However, in the same plants the concentration of phosphorus in the lignotuber wood was five times the phosphorus concentration in stem wood. Hence both lignotuber bark and sap wood in young jarrah seedlings are storage sites for phosphorus. X-ray probe analysis showed that wood phosphorus was associated with the ray parenchyma. Unlike phosphorus, nitrogen did not accumulate in the lignotuber and the concentrations of nitrogen were similar for roots, lignotubers and stems.
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Dell, B., Jones, S. & Wallace, I.M. Phosphorus accumulation by lignotubers of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm.) seedlings grown in a range of soils. Plant Soil 86, 225–232 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02182897
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02182897