Container volume and subirrigation schedule influence Quercus variabilis seedling growth and nutrient status in the nursery and field
Container volume and irrigation management affect seedling growth in the nursery and field. We evaluated the effects of container volumes (D40, 656 ml; D60, 983 ml) and subirrigation schedules (85%, 75%, 65%, and 55% of 100% total substrate moisture content, TSMC) on seedling
growth in a greenhouse and outplanting performance of Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis Blume) for one growing season. In the greenhouse, morphological attributes of seedlings grown at 85% and 75% TSMC in D60 were greater than those grown at 65% and 55% TSMC in D40. After outplanting,
seedlings grown at 75% TSMC in D60 were tallest but not different than those grown at 65% TSMC. Shoot (9.2 g), root (28.0 g), and total (37.2 g) biomass of seedlings subirrigated at 55% TSMC in D60 reached maximum values, but shoot biomass for seedlings grown at either
65% or 55% TSMC was similar. Root and total N and K contents of seedlings subirrigated at 65% and 55% TSMC were greater than those grown at 85% and 75% TSMC. Our results suggest that reducing the subirrigation schedule threshold and using a container with more volume could improve oak seedling
growth and nutrient accumulation during the first growing season of outplanting.
Keywords: Quercus; container volume; nutrient; outplanting performance; subirrigation schedule
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation, Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China 2: Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID, USA
Publication date: 18 August 2018
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content