New Forests

, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp 265–277 | Cite as

Effects of soil water content and initial root volume on the nutrient status of 2+0 Douglas-fir seedlings

  • Diane L. Haase
  • Robin Rose
Article
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Accepted:

Abstract

Two-year-old bareroot Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco.) seedlings were graded on the basis of four root-volume categories and transplanted to four moisture-stress treatments (6, 12, 18, and 24% soil water content) in pots. Macronutrient concentrations and contents of both old and new foliar tissue were determined. Decreasing soil water content resulted in higher concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, and particularly nitrogen in both old and new foliar tissue. This can be attributed to reduced growth, translocation, metabolic activity, and nutrient requirement in response to moisture stress. Seedlings with relatively higher root volumes exhibited higher nutrient concentrations and contents, as well as increased growth. Thus, increased total root biomass per unit of soil area with increasing seedling root volume may have resulted in greater nutrient use, supply, uptake, and storage.

Key works

moisture stress nursery grading transplant shock Pseudotsuga menziesii seedling morphology seedling quality 
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1994

Authors and Affiliations

  • Diane L. Haase
    • 1
  • Robin Rose
    • 1
  1. 1.Nursery Technology Cooperative, Department of Forest ScienceOregon State UniversityCorvallisUSA

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