Growth and Wood Density Responses to Later-Age Fertilizer Application in Pinus Radiata

Nyakuengama, J. Gwinyai; Downes, Geoffrey M.; Ng, Jane

doi:10.1163/22941932-90000313

Cited by 44 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In relation to eucalypts, fertilizer generally either increases or has no effect on wood quality, but it increases the nutrient content of wood and hence nutrient export from sites (Raymond 1998). In conifers, fertilization that increases growth rates also tends to decrease wood density, but overall there is usually an increase in the total value of wood for sawn timber or pulpwood (Antony et al 2009;Cao et al 2008;Downes et al 2002;Nyakuengama et al 2002;Zobel 1992). Overuse of fertilizers in forestry can result in trees with multiple or contorted stems that greatly reduces the value of the tree for either pulpwood or sawn timber purpose (Turnbull et al 1994).…”

Section: Goals Of Fertilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fertilization: Trends in knowledge and practice compared to agriculture

Smethurst

2010

Plant Soil

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Plantation forestry continues to intensify and grow in area, with a concomitant increase in fertilizer demand. Virtually no fertilizer is used on non-plantation forest systems. The scale of fertilizer use per ha per year in a small proportion of plantation systems is now similar to some agricultural production systems, but the total area of plantation forestry remains only a few percent of that used for agriculture. Hence, in a global context, forestry is a minor user of fertilizers. In relation to the knowledge base for fertilizer management, forestry and agriculture have similar practical questions that drive research, i.e. nutritional diagnosis and the development of fertilizer prescriptions that optimize production, environmental and economic goals. Much of this research is soil-climate-species-management specific. During the past few decades, solution culture methods were developed that maintain stable internal nutrient concentrations, which were essential for improving our understanding of nutrient-growth relationships. The development of plant production models that include the mechanistic simulation of nutrient supply and uptake are at an early stage of development. Plantation forestry and agriculture lack a mechanistic basis for evaluating base cation availability that accounts for Al-pH-root interactions. Further developments in this field could assist in rationalizing the use of lime. There is a lack of resources available in plantation forestry, and probably also in agriculture in some countries, to develop and refine calibrations of traditional types of soil and foliar analyses. Further testing of soil solution approaches is warranted. Further research on resource use efficiency, wood quality, rhizosphere relations, and mixed-species systems in relation to fertilization is also warranted.

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Section: Goals Of Fertilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fertilization: Trends in knowledge and practice compared to agriculture

Smethurst

2010

Plant Soil

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“…Carbon may be used for incrementing wood volume by production of new cells, or increasing wood density by stimulating fibre wall thickness (Hattenschwiler et al 1996;Ceulemans et al 2002;Nyakuegama et al 2002;Atwell et al 2003;Kilpelainen et al 2003;Smethurst et al 2003;Searson et al 2004; Thomas et al 2006). Anatomical changes to fibre cells reduce the volume of cellular voids in relation to cell wall material (Thomas et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of leaf and branch removal on carbon assimilation and stem wood density of Eucalyptus grandis seedlings

Thomas

Montagu

Conroy

2006

Trees

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The rate of leaf CO 2 assimilation (A l ) and leaf area determine the rate of canopy CO 2 assimilation (A c ) can be thought proportional to assimilate supply for growth and structural requirements of plants. Partitioning of biomass within plants and anatomy of cells within stems can determine how assimilate supply affects both stem growth and wood density. We examined the response of stem growth and wood density to reduced assimilate supply by pruning leaf area. Removing 42% of the leaf area of Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden seedlings did not stimulate leaf-level photosynthesis (A l ) or stomatal conductance, contrary to some previous studies. Canopy-level photosynthesis (A c ) was reduced by 41% immediately after pruning but due almost solely to continued production of leaves, and was only 21% lower 3 weeks later. Pruning consequently reduced seedling biomass by 24% and stem biomass by 18%. These reductions in biomass were correlated with reduced A c . Pruning had no Communicated by M. Adams effect on stem height or diameter and reduced wood density to 338 kg m −3 compared to 366 kg m −3 in control seedlings. The lower wood density in pruned seedlings was associated with a 10% reduction in the thickness of fibre cell walls, and as fibre cell diameter was invariant to pruning, this resulted in smaller lumen diameters. These anatomical changes increased the ratio of cross-sectional area of lumen to area cell wall material within the wood. The results suggest changes to wood density following pruning of young eucalypt trees may be independent of tree volume and of longer duration.

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“…Most fertiliser trials test the temporal response to a single fertiliser application. Several studies have shown a decrease in ring density for 5-10 years after fertilisation (Albaugh et al 2004;Nyakuengama et al 2002). A short-term decline in ring density has little impact on the average density at harvest age, and is likely to have little impact on overall wood quality (McGrath et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cown and McConchie (1981) reported a possible increase in wood density with increasing annual rainfall in New Zealand. Higher soil moisture status may result in high growth rates during autumn, leading to a higher proportion of latewood and therefore higher wood density (Nyakuengama et al 2002). Improved water availability throughout the year can both extend the growing season and increase growth (Benson et al 1992a), increasing both earlywood and latewood production and possibly causing little change in density.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertiliser and irrigation effects on wood density at various heights for Pinus radiata

2007

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This study examined the combined effect of 19-years of nitrogen fertilisation and irrigation on the basic density along the stems of Pinus radiata (D.Don). The sample trees came from two treatments in the Biology of Forest Growth experiment: the control (C no treatment) and the irrigated and liquid fertilised (IL irrigated from age 10 to 29, liquid fertilised from ages 10 to 17). The mean basic density at breast height in the IL trees was significantly less (P < 0.05) than the C trees (430 and 471 kg m -3 , respectively). However, the mean density of the entire bole was not significantly different. Basic density decreased with height, with the density near the tips of the trees being only 80% of the density at breast height for both treatments. The relative rate of the decrease was different between treatments. The density of the C trees decreased steadily with height while the IL trees held a relatively constant density for about half their total height. The results show the importance sampling at several different heights when considering the effects of various treatments on wood basic density in Pinus radiata.

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Growth and Wood Density Responses to Later-Age Fertilizer Application in Pinus Radiata

Cited by 44 publications

References 25 publications

Forest fertilization: Trends in knowledge and practice compared to agriculture

Forest fertilization: Trends in knowledge and practice compared to agriculture

Effects of leaf and branch removal on carbon assimilation and stem wood density of Eucalyptus grandis seedlings

Fertiliser and irrigation effects on wood density at various heights for Pinus radiata

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