Mineral nutrition of slash pine in subtropical Australia. III. Relationships between foliar P concentration and stand growth

Abstract

Foliar P concentration of slash pine was significantly related to the stand growth in the first 11.5 years. The relationship between foliar P concentration and total stand growth at foliar sampling improved as the plantation aged with coefficient of determination (R²) increasing from 0.14–0.15 at age 3.3 years to 0.56–0.65 at age 9.6 years. However, only 12–18% of the variation in total stand growth was explained by foliar P concentration at age 11.5 years when additional 40 kg P ha⁻¹ was applied to the stands at age 10 years. This suggests that caution should be exercised in interpreting the foliar P concentrations of the established stands which had received application of P fertilizer just prior to foliar sampling. Periodic stand growth was more closely related to the foliar P concentration than total stand growth. Basal area and volume periodic annual increment (PAI) was better related to the foliar P concentration than height PAI.

Optimum foliar P concentration, at which the maximum stand growth was obtained, was between 0.093% and 0.110%. The optimum foliar P concentration for height PAI immediately prior to foliar sampling decreased from 0.097% at age 3.3 years to 0.070% at age 9.6 years. Critical foliar P concentration at age 9.6 years, at which 90% of the maximum basal area growth was obtained, was between 0.066% and 0.070%. Both optimum and critical foliar P concentration might decrease as the plantation aged.