Abstract
Growth responses to fertilizers by many tree species across a wide range of stand and site conditions indicate that suboptimal nutrition frequently limits forest productivity. Much of the increase in stemwood growth following fertilizer additions is attributable to increased foliage production. Other mechanisms which may contribute to accelerated stem growth include increased productivity per unit of leaf area and altered dry matter partitioning among tree components. Several studies indicate that fertilization also improves tree-soil water relations. Even within a single region and species, the magnitude of fertilizer response varies greatly among stands and sites. Existing procedures for evaluating the nutritional status of forest trees and predicting responses to fertilizers leave much of this variation unexplained. Tree growth under low levels of soil nutrient availability and tree responses to fertilizers also vary among genotypes; however, mechanisms responsible for genotypic variation have not been identified. Genotypes with high rooting density may be best suited for uptake of poorly mobile ions, such as ammonium and phosphate, from soils with low nutrient availability.
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Troth, J.L., Campbell, R.G., Allen, H.L. (1986). Nutrients: Use of Forest Fertilization and Nutrient Efficient Genotypes to Manage Nutrient Stress in Conifer Stands. In: Hennessey, T.C., Dougherty, P.M., Kossuth, S.V., Johnson, J.D. (eds) Stress physiology and forest productivity. Forestry Sciences, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4424-4_4
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