Effects of edaphic conditions on site quality for Salix purpurea ‘Hotel’ plantations across a large climatic gradient in Canada

Abstract

Willow has been identified as a possible species for supplying large quantities of biomass for bioenergy and wood fibers in Canada. However, before site selection occurs, there is a need to know how the soils and climate of the prairies and central regions affect willow productivity.Soil, foliar, and climatic variables were therefore measured along with yields at nine "first rotation" Salix purpurea 'Hotel' plantations from central Alberta to southern Ontario.Correlation analysis was used to identify those parameters having the most influence on yields.Relationships between soil and climate and growth were established by regression analysis. The acid-base status of the soil as dictated by bulk elemental composition, in particular the presence of Ca, was found to be the dominant factor affecting productivity (r 2 = 0.967, P < 0.001 total Ca vs. yields) despite large regional differences in climate. From a nutritional standpoint, total soil N (r = 0.743, P < 0.048) and foliar K (r 2 = 0.938, P < 0.009 for sites with adequate moisture)were positively correlated with growth. S. purpurea 'Hotel' yields were found to be primarily limited by water availability at the two lowest productivity prairie sites. Soil total Ca concentration, pH and total organic C concentration were all generally correlated with higher yields. Additional deficiencies appeared in the following order of importance: water > N and K > Mg. As a whole, soil properties were the dominant predictors of 'Hotel' growth in this study, which suggests that, even at the regional scale, growth was governed in large part by the capacity of soils to retain water and/or nutrients. Climate played a lesser role, except perhaps at two sites which appeared to receive inadequate moisture.

Effects of nitrogen fertilization in shrub willow short rotation coppice production – a quantitative review

“…Future reports of fertilization research in SRC willow should make an effort to report more detailed information on soil chemical properties, such as pH, SOM, and macronutrient levels. In recent studies looking at willow SRC growth across smaller geographic ranges, nutrients such as Ca and P have been found to be highly correlated with yield (Ens et al ., ; Kuzovkina et al ., ). In addition, previous land use is rarely reported, but can have important consequences for soil nutrient status.…”

“…Ens et al . () demonstrated that foliar N concentration could predict about two‐thirds of the total variation in S. purpurea harvested biomass across seven contrasting locations in central Canada. In contrast, Jug et al .…”

Phytomanagement of Metal(loid)-Contaminated Soils: Options, Efficiency and Value

“…Willows have extensive and deep rooting systems (Licht and Isebrands, 2005), prefer a soil pH of 5.5-8.0 (Abrahamson et al, 2002), and can easily establish in floodplains and sandbars. They are regularly used to stabilize stream banks and prevent erosion (Ens et al, 2013;Karp, 2014). The commercial value of willow is often related to the production of several end-products which can be obtained from its biomass, such as timber, fibers for basketry, charcoal (Karp, 2014), biochar (Rasa et al, 2018), fodder (Lira et al, 2008), pellets, whips and wood chips (Stanturf and van Oosten, 2014), pulp and paper and wood flour (Barton-Pudlik and Czaja, 2018).…”

Maximum Annual Potential Yields of Salix miyabeana SX67 in Southern Quebec and Effects of Coppicing and Stool Age

“…1 to 5 Mg DW ha year -1 (e.g. Heinsoo et al [17] in Estonia, Tahvanainen, Rytkönen [15] in Finland, and Ens et al [18] and Moukoumi et al [19] in different locations in Canada, including the dry Prairie provinces with relatively short summers). In particular, climate was shown to severely impact willow biomass production.…”

“…Soil pH and total calcium (CaO) were also shown to control S. purpurea yields of nine SRCs established from southern Ontario to central Alberta [18].…”