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Nursery fertilization enhances survival and physiological status in Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) seedlings planted in a semiarid environment

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Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that fertilized containerized Pinus canariensis seedlings increases survival when planted in semiarid sites through the improvement of their physiological status during the establishment phase by an increment in root growth. Seedlings were cultured under two different regimes: traditional (in non-fertilized natural soil) and alternative (in fertilized peat). Morphological attributes and nitrogen content were measured before planting. Measurements of survival and growth in the plantation were made periodically for 2 years and physiological plant responses (leaf water potential, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence) during the third summer after planting were tested and finally a set of plants were excavated to measure the same parameters as before planting. Seedlings cultivated using fertilized peat achieved the highest values for all of evaluated parameters. During the third dry season, big seedlings exhibited better physiological status. Therefore, enhanced root growth can result in better water uptake during the dry period thereby increasing survival and growth in the next few years after planting. A feed-back physiological model is proposed to explain P. canariensis establishment in a semiarid environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors want to express their gratitude to the Consejería de Educación Cultura y Deportes of the Canarian Government for supporting of the investigation and to the Cabildo Insular of Tenerife for logistic support. Thanks to Gerhard Wieser and the two anonymous reviewers for their comments to improve the manuscript and the English style. V.C. Luis and J. Puértolas are currently funded by FSE, MEC and CEAM and want to acknowledge to Consolider-Ingenio for actual support. CEAM is funded by Generalitat Valenciana and Bancaja.

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  1. Vanessa C. Luis & Jaime Puértolas

    Present address: Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Alicante University, Fase V. Ap 99, Ctra. San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Alicante, 03690, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology (Plant Physiology), La Laguna University, Tenerife, Spain

    Vanessa C. Luis, Domingo Morales & M. Soledad Jiménez

  2. Centro Nacional de Mejora Forestal “El Serranillo”, Guadalajara, Spain

    Jaime Puértolas

  3. Unidad de Genética Forestal, CIFOR-INIA, Madrid, Spain

    José Climent

  4. Departamento de Fruticultura Tropical, Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), Tenerife, Spain

    Juliane Peters & Águeda M. González-Rodríguez

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  1. Vanessa C. Luis
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Correspondence to Vanessa C. Luis.

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Communicated by A. Merino.

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Luis, V.C., Puértolas, J., Climent, J. et al. Nursery fertilization enhances survival and physiological status in Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) seedlings planted in a semiarid environment. Eur J Forest Res 128, 221–229 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-009-0257-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-009-0257-7

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