Abstract
Holm oak is the hardwood most used for reforestation in Mediterranean Spain, which makes the development of stock quality standards in order to improve establishment success, a priority. However, its nursery culture is characterized by a wide range of practices resulting in stock heterogeneity and a potentially varied outplanting performance. Previous research has focused on specific seedling quality attributes, obviating the integral effect of nursery culture on overall quality. We studied growing regime, seedling quality, and field performance in nine holm oak stocklots produced in commercial nurseries during two consecutive growing years. Results proved variations in field performance were related to stocklot quality and, hence, to the growing regime practised. This dependence on stock quality may vary with planting site weather: in the drier year, survival was related to attributes like height, water status and K concentration, while, in the second, milder year, only growth performance was related to nutrient concentrations, plant size and water status. Results indicated the following quality standards for height: 12–17 cm, diameter: 3.5–4.8 mm, shoot and root weights: 1.3–1.6 and 2.8–4.7 g, respectively, N–P–K foliar concentrations: over 10–0.9–3.7 mg g−1, respectively and in water status parameters: EMX < 5 MPa and SWDTL > 15%. These attributes can be adjusted using nursery cultural practices in order to meet seedling quality standards for holm oak for planting across similar sites.
Resumen
La encina es la frondosa más empleada en España en forestación por lo que el desarrollo de estándares de calidad de planta es una herramienta básica para garantizar el éxito de las plantaciones. Sin embargo, los regímenes de cultivo en vivero son variables originando heterogeneidad en las producciones y una respuesta en campo potencialmente variable. Los estudios previos han estado más centrados en aspectos particulares de calidad que en el efecto integral del régimen de cultivo, por lo que se estudió el cultivo, la calidad y la respuesta de varios lotes comerciales durante dos campañas consecutivas. Los resultados muestran diferencias en la respuesta en función de la calidad y, por tanto, del régimen de cultivo. Las diferencias en supervivencia fueron debidas, el año más seco, a la altura, el estado hídrico o la concentración de K, mientras que el año más húmedo la calidad se relacionó con el crecimiento, siendo la nutrición, el tamaño de planta y los parámetros hídricos los atributos más relacionados. Estos resultados permiten mejorar las técnicas de cultivo en vivero más implicadas en estos atributos, ajustándose así el estándar de calidad para unas condiciones de estación similares a las ensayadas.
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Acknowledgments
This study has been supported by funds from the Ministry of Agriculture and the project INIA-CICYT “Definición del ciclo de producción de cuatro especies forestales (Quercus ilex L.; Pinus pinea L.; Ceratonia siliqua L. y Olea europaea L. subsp. sylvestris) de especial importancia en los programas de forestación en tierras agrarias en Andalucía (FO96-006)”. We also wish to acknowledge the interest of the participating nurseries. We appreciated comments on the draft manuscript from Sue Morrison of the Forest Research Nursery, University of Idaho.
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del Campo, A.D., Navarro, R.M. & Ceacero, C.J. Seedling quality and field performance of commercial stocklots of containerized holm oak (Quercus ilex) in Mediterranean Spain: an approach for establishing a quality standard. New Forests 39, 19–37 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-009-9152-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-009-9152-9