*
 

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

*

Linking nursery nutritional status and water availability post-planting under intense summer drought: the case of a South American Mediterranean tree species

Juan F Ovalle (1), Eduardo C Arellano (1-2)   , Juan A Oliet (3), Pablo Becerra (1-2), Rosanna Ginocchio (1-2)

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 9, Issue 5, Pages 758-765 (2016)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1905-009
Published: Jun 03, 2016 - Copyright © 2016 SISEF

Research Articles


Drought-avoidance traits of South American Mediterranean tree species are crucial attributes to be considered in nursery practices aimed at improving the performance of seedlings exposed to intense summer drought in dryland reforestation projects. In this study, we determined the relation between nursery fertilization doses and the development of drought-avoidance traits of the soapbark tree Quillaja saponaria (Mol.) under contrasting watering regimes following post-planting. Seedlings were grown for 6 months using four increasing doses of controlled-release fertilizer (0, 3, 6, and 12 g L-1 of Basacote® Plus 15:8:12). After outplanting, half of the seedlings were watered weekly and the other half were left unwatered for one growing season from September 2011 to May 2012. Seedlings were periodically measured for morphological and ecophysiological parameters, and carefully harvested for root measurements at the end of the study. Our results showed that high fertilization doses produced significantly larger seedlings in the nursery with high nitrogen and phosphorous foliar concentrations, which resulted in a significantly higher shoot dry mass after outplanting. Unfertilized seedlings grown with water application had a significantly higher stem diameter, root dry mass and lower shoot/root compared with seedlings with high fertilizer dose. These results highlight the ability of this species to maintain drought-avoidance traits, such as high xylem water potential and chlorophyll fluorescence, during the first 3 months of the 7-month drought period. High nutrient loading, although resulting in improved shoot productivity after outplanting, did not make a significant contribution to the early development of drought-avoidance traits in Q. saponaria.

  Keywords


Dryland Forest Restoration, Plant Quality, Root Architecture, Seedling Fertilization, Water-stress Resistance

Authors’ address

(1)
Juan F Ovalle
Eduardo C Arellano
Pablo Becerra
Rosanna Ginocchio
Center of Applied Ecology & Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 340, 8320000 Santiago (Chile)
(2)
Eduardo C Arellano
Pablo Becerra
Rosanna Ginocchio
Departamento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 8320000 Santiago (Chile)
(3)
Juan A Oliet
Department of Natural Systems and Resources, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

Corresponding author

 
Eduardo C Arellano
earellan@uc.cl

Citation

Ovalle JF, Arellano EC, Oliet JA, Becerra P, Ginocchio R (2016). Linking nursery nutritional status and water availability post-planting under intense summer drought: the case of a South American Mediterranean tree species. iForest 9: 758-765. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1905-009

Academic Editor

Claudia Cocozza

Paper history

Received: Oct 27, 2015
Accepted: Jan 22, 2016

First online: Jun 03, 2016
Publication Date: Oct 13, 2016
Publication Time: 4.43 months

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 47065
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 40357
Abstract Page Views: 2338
PDF Downloads: 3261
Citation/Reference Downloads: 37
XML Downloads: 1072

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 3044
Overall contacts: 47065
Avg. contacts per week: 108.23

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)

Total number of cites (since 2016): 10
Average cites per year: 1.25

 

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

 
(1)
Becerra PI, González-Rodríguez V, Smith-Ramírez C, Armesto JJ (2011)
Spatio-temporal variation in the effect of herbaceous layer on woody seedling survival in a Chilean Mediterranean ecosystem. Journal of Vegetation Science 22: 847-855.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(2)
Becerra PI, Cruz G, Ríos S, Castelli G (2013)
Importance of irrigation and plant size in the establishment success of different native species in a degraded ecosystem of central Chile. Bosque 34: 23-24.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(3)
Benigno S, Dixon K, Stevens J (2014)
Seedling mortality during biphasic drought in sandy Mediterranean soils. Functional Plant Biology 41: 1239-1248.
Gscholar
(4)
Cortina J, Vilagrosa A, Trubat R (2013)
The role of nutrients for improving seedling quality in drylands. New Forests 44: 719-732.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(5)
Cuesta B, Villar-Salvador P, Puértolas J, Jacobs D, Rey-Benayas JM (2010)
Why do large, nitrogen rich seedlings better resist stressful transplanting conditions? A physiological analysis in two functionally contrasting Mediterranean forest species. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 71-78.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(6)
Donoso C (1982)
Reseña ecológica de los bosques Mediterráneos de Chile [Ecological description of Chilean Mediterranean forest]. Bosque 4: 117-146.
Gscholar
(7)
Donoso S, Peña K, Pacheco C, Luna G, Aguirre A (2011)
Physiological and growth response in Quillaja saponaria and Cryptocarya alba plants under restricted water conditions. Bosque 32: 187-195.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(8)
Flexas J, Diaz-Espejo A, Gago J, Gallé A, Galmés J, Gulías J, Medrano H (2014)
Photosynthetic limitations in Mediterranean plants: a review. Environmental and Experimental Botany 103: 12-23.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(9)
Giliberto J, Estay H (1978)
Seasonal water stress in some chilean matorral shrubs. Botanical Gazette 139 (2): 236-240.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(10)
González M, Quiroz I, García E, Soto H (2011)
Estándares de producción de plantas de Quillay (Quillaja saponaria Mol.) [Production standards for Quillay (Quillaja saponaria Mol.) seedlings]. Revista Chile Forestal 353: 43-46.
Gscholar
(11)
Haase DL, Rose R, Trobaugh J (2006)
Field performance of three stock sizes of Douglas-fir container seedlings grown with slow-release fertilizer in the nursery growing medium. New Forests 31: 1-24.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(12)
Hernández E, Vilagrosa A, Luis VC, Llorca M, Chirino E, Vallejo VR (2009)
Root hydraulic conductance, gas exchange and leaf water potential in seedlings of Pistacia lentiscus L. and Quercus suber L. grown under different fertilization and light regimes. Environmetal and Experimental Botany 67: 269-276.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(13)
Holmgren M, Segura A, Fuentes E (2000)
Limiting mechanisms in the regeneration of the chilean matorral experiments on seedling establishment in burned and cleared mesic sites. Plant Ecology 147: 49-57.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(14)
Idris M, Salifu KF, Timmer VR (2004)
Root plug effects on early growth and nutrition of container black spruce seedlings. Forest Ecology and Management 195: 399-408.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(15)
Jacobs DF, Rose R, Haase D, Alzugaraya P (2004)
Fertilization at planting impairs root system development and drought avoidance of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings. Annals of Forest Science 61: 643-651.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(16)
Jacobs DF, Salifu KF, Davis AS (2009)
Drought susceptibility and recovery of transplanted Quercus rubra seedlings in relation to root system morphology. Annals of Forest Science 66: 1-12.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(17)
Leiva MJ, Fernández-Alés R (1998)
Variability in seedling water status during drought within a Quercus ilex subsp. ballota population, and its relation to seedling morphology. Forest Ecology and Management 111: 147-156.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(18)
Lloret F, Casanovas C, Peñuelas J (1999)
Seedling survival of Mediterranean shrubland species in relation to root:shoot ratio, seed size and water and nitrogen use. Functional Ecology 13: 210-216.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(19)
Lo Gullo MA, Salleo S (1988)
Different strategies of drought resistance in three Mediterranean sclerophyllous trees growing in the same environmental conditions. New Phytologist 108: 267-276.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(20)
Luis VC, Puértolas J, Climent J, Peters J, González-Rodríguez AM, Morales D, Jiménez MS (2009)
Nursery fertilization enhances survival and physiological status in Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) seedlings planted in a semiarid environment. European Journal of Forest Research 128: 221-229.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(21)
Luna G (2006)
Evaluación de parámetros fisiológicos y de crecimiento en plantas de Quillaja saponaria Mol. bajo condiciones de déficit hídrico [Evaluation of physiological parameters and growth in Quillaja saponaria Mol. plants under water deficit]. MSc thesis, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, pp. 145.
Gscholar
(22)
Maxwell K, Johnson GN (2000)
Chlorophyll fluorescence-a practical guide. Journal of Experimental Botany 51: 659-68.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(23)
Morales N, Becerra P, Arellano E, Gilabert H (2015)
Effect of large and small herbivores on seed and seedling survival of Beilschmiedia miersii in central Chile. Bosque 36 (1): 127-132.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(24)
Oliet J, Planelles R, Artero F, Valverde R, Jacobs D, Segura M (2009)
Field performance of Pinus halepensis planted in Mediterranean arid conditions: relative influence of seedling morphology and mineral nutrition. New Forests 37: 313-331.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(25)
Olsen SR, Sommers LE (1982)
Phosphorous. In: “Methods of soil analysis, Part 2” (Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR eds). SSSA-ASA, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, pp. 403-430.
Gscholar
(26)
Ovalle JF, Arellano EC, Ginocchio R (2015)
Trade-offs between drought survival and rooting strategy of two South American Mediterranean tree species: implications for dryland forests restoration. Forests 6: 3733-3747.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(27)
Padilla F, Miranda J, Armas C, Pugnaire F (2015)
Effects of changes in rainfall amount and pattern on root dynamics in an arid shrubland. Journal of Arid Environments 114: 49-53.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(28)
Pardos M, Calama R, Mayoral C, Madrigal G, Sánchez-González M (2014)
Addressing post-transplant summer water stress in Pinus pinea and Quercus ilex seedlings. iForest 8: 348-358.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(29)
Peñuelas J (2001)
Severe drought effects on Mediterranean woody. Forest Science 47: 214-218.
Online | Gscholar
(30)
Sparks DL (1996)
Method of soil analysis, Part 3. SSSA-ASA, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. pp. 1184.
Gscholar
(31)
Tan W, Hogan GD (1997)
Physiological and morphological responses to nitrogen limitation in jack pine seedlings: potential implications for drought tolerance. New Forests 14: 19-31.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(32)
Timmer VR, Teng Y (2004)
Pretransplant fertilization of containerized Picea mariana seedlings: calibration and bioassay growth response. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34: 2089-2098.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(33)
Trubat R, Cortina J, Vilagrosa A (2006)
Plant morphology and root hydraulics are altered by nutrient deficiency in Pistacia lentiscus (L.). Trees 20: 334-339.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(34)
Trubat R, Cortina J, Vilagrosa A (2008)
Short-term nitrogen deprivation increases field performance in nursery seedlings of Mediterranean woody species. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 879-890.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(35)
Trubat R, Cortina J, Vilagrosa A (2012)
Root architecture and hydraulic conductance in nutrient deprived Pistacia lentiscus L. seedlings. Oecologia 170:899-908.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(36)
Valenzuela L (2007)
Evaluación de un ensayo de riego y fertilización de Quillay (Quillaja saponaria Mol.) en la Región Metropolitana de Chile [Evaluation of irrigation and fertilization trials in Quillaja saponaria Mol. in the Metropolitan region of Chile]. MSc thesis, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, pp. 155.
Gscholar
(37)
Valladares F, Sánchez-Gómez D (2006)
Ecophysiological traits associated with drought in Mediterranean tree seedlings: individual responses versus interspecific trends in eleven species. Plant Biology 8: 688-97.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(38)
Vallejo VR, Smanis A, Chirino E, Fuentes D, Valdecantos A, Vilagrosa A (2012)
Perspectives in dryland restoration: approaches for climate change adaptation. New Forests 43: 561-579.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(39)
Vilagrosa A, Cortina J, Gil-Pelegrin E, Bellot J (2003)
Suitability of drought-preconditioning techniques in Mediterranean climate. Restoration Ecology 11: 208-216.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(40)
Villar-Salvador P, Puértolas J, Cuesta B, Peñuelas J, Uscola M, Heredia-Guerrero N, Rey-Benayas JM (2012)
Increase in size and nitrogen concentration enhances seedling survival in Mediterranean plantations. Insights from an ecophysiological conceptual model of plant survival. New Forests 43: 755-770.
CrossRef | Gscholar
 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info