Effects of watershed liming onPicea rubens seedling biomass and nutrient element concentration

Abstract

Abstract. Effects of watershed liming on the biomass and tissue chemistry of planted Picea rubens Sarg. (red spruce) seedlings were investigated for two growing seasons after two subcatchments in a forested Adirondack, New York (U.S.A.) watershed were limed aerially with 6.89 t ha-t of calcitic limestone (CaCO3). Picea rubens has been the focus of numerous atmospheric deposition research studies, but less well investigated for responses to amelioration. Picea rubens seedlings were planted in limed and reference subcatchments and harvested the first and second growing season after liming to measure total, foliar, and stem (i.e., branch) biomass, and concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, AI, Na, and P in the annual growth increment of foliage and branches. In the second year after liming, both foliage and stem biomass of seedlings from reference plots were at least 50% greater than seedling biomass from limed plots. Seedlings in limed areas had significantly greater foliar concentrations of Mg and P in the first year after liming, but not in the second year. Foliar Ca was not significantly different in limed than reference seedlings. Foliar A1 concentrations were greater in reference than limed seedlings, but still below documented toxicity levels. Stem concentrations of Mg, K, and P in seedlings from limed areas decreased significantly between the first and second growing season after liming, while reference seedling stem concentrations either increased or declined only slightly. Correlations among foliar nutrients and foliar biomass from limed plots were negative and suggest an inverse dilution effect. Foliar A1 concentrations were negatively correlated with Ca, Mg, K, and P in seedlings from reference plots, but positively correlated in limed plots. The adverse response of P. rubens seedlings to lime may reflect changes in nutrient availability associated with changes in soil pH.

Forest management and soil respiration: Implications for carbon sequestration

“…Liming is a common soil amendment used in forest management to improve quality of acid soils by increasing soil pH (Schierl and Kreutzer 1991;Mohamed 1993;Driscoll et al 1996;Smallidge and Leopold 1997;Saarsalmi and Malkonen 2001;Nohrstedt 2002;Timmer et al 2003), soil cation exchange capacity (Houle et al 2002), and nutrient availability (Fuentes et al 2006). Liming has been used to counteract acidification and re-supply the soil with magnesium and calcium (Ca) (Phillips et al 1988;Rehfuess et al 1991;Kreutzer 1995;Ingerslev 1997;Timmer et al 2003).…”