Twig and foliar nutrient concentrations in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus supply in a eucalypt (Eucalyptus diversicolor F. Muell.) and an understorey legume (Bossiaea laidlawiana Tovey and Morris)

Abstract

The sensitivity of tissue nutrient concentrations to changes in plant age and the supply of P and N was compared between leaves and associated twigs in two forest species. In a young regrowth stand, tissues were sampled on three occasions from the mid-crown position of karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor F. Muell.) and Bossiaea laidlawiana Tovey and Morris, a major understorey legume. Leaves and twigs were also sampled from young plants of B. laidlawiana growing in a mature eucalypt stand to which P treatments had been applied.

Nitrogen application increased N concentrations in twigs of karri and B. laidlawiana, but not in leaves. Phosphorus application increased P concentrations in both leaves and twigs of karri but the average increases were proportionally greater in twigs (65%) than in leaves (36%). Over the sampling period, P concentrations in leaves declined, while those in twigs were relatively stable. In B. laidlawiana, P supply also had a larger effect on P concentrations in twigs than in leaves. Addition of 200 kg P ha⁻¹ increased average P concentrations in twigs by 109% in the regrowth stand and by 215% in the mature stand while the corresponding increases in leaves were only 11% and 27%. Concentrations of other nutrients in both species were also affected by N and P application, the most notable being a decline in the concentrations of the minor nutrients, Zn and Cu, with increased P supply.

The increased N concentrations in twigs of karri, and the increased P concentrations in tissues of both species, were associated with responses of karri to added N and P, and of B. laidlawiana to added P. This indicates that tissue concentrations of N and P were generally below critical concentrations where N and P were not applied. The results show that for these species twigs may be a better tissue than leaves for diagnosing deficiencies or predicting N and P requirements. The ratio of P concentrations in twigs to P concentrations in leaves also increased with added P. It is suggested that this ratio may be a useful index if it reduces the variability caused by sampling position within the crown or genetic differences between plants.