Frost hardiness gradients in shoots and roots of picea mariana seedlings

Frost hardiness of tissues along the length of the stem and the root was investigated in first‐year black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) seedlings. Frost hardiness of 1 cm long stem and root segments was evaluated based on Index of Injury, calculated from post‐freezing electrolyte leakage. Frost hardiness was tested approximately weekly beginning seven weeks after seedlings were transferred from an 18 to a 10 h photoperiod, both at day/night temperatures of 26°C/16°C. Trees were transferred to temperatures of 10°C day and 5°C night at a 10 h photoperiod after a further 18 days. Frost hardiness was greater at the terminal bud and least at the root tips. Although shoots were generally more frost hardy than roots, differences in hardiness along the stem and root axes were gradual, rather than abruptly differing at the shoot‐root interface. All tissues, including root tips, increased in frost hardiness after conditioning for 18 days under short photoperiods (10 h) and warm temperatures (26?C/16°C, day/night). Under cold temperatures (10°C/5°C, day/night) all tissues, excepting the root tips, tolerated — 16°C with little subsequent electrolyte leakage.     

Shoot and root sensitivity of containerized black spruce,white spruce and jack pine seedlings to late fall freezing

Damage to containerized forest seedlings due to freezing can occur in the fall or early winter in Canadian forest nurseries. The following spring, damage to shoots and impairment of growth is observed. The objectives of this experiment were to measure the impact of late fall low temperatures (0° to --30°C) on whole seedlings of the three most common species used for reforestation in Quebec: black spruce (BS), white spruce (WS) and jack pine (JP). Impacts of freezing temperatures on (i) whole seedling and apical bud mortality, (ii) shoot growth and root mortality, (iii) stem electrical resistance, (iv) shoot and root water relations, (v) concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and total sugars in shoots were assessed. JP showed the highest rate of whole seedling mortality while WS showed the highest rate of apical bud mortality. JP was the most severely affected: destruction of the root system at low temperatures as well as a reduction of shoot growth and stem diameter and a decrease (more negative) in shoot and root water potential. WS showed a reduction of shoot growth despite no apparent damage to the root system at low temperatures. BS was not affected by temperatures as low as --30°C. Nutrient and sugar concentrations were not affected by low temperature treatments.     

Field performance of containerized black spruce seedlings with root systems damaged by freezing or pruning

Roots of 2-year-old black spruce seedlings (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) were exposed to freezing temperatures to destroy 20, 40, 60, and 80% of the root systems. For comparison, other root systems were pruned to eliminate the same proportions of roots. Treated and control seedlings were planted in spring 1992 at Forêt Montmorency (the Université Laval forest research station, 50 km north of Quebec City). From 1992 to 1995, survival, shoot height and stem diameter were measured. Mortality mainly occurred in 1993, the year after planting; pruned seedlings showed practically no mortality while seedlings with 20, 40, 60, and 80% of their root systems affected by frost showed mortality rates of 0, 6, 17, and 24%, respectively. Shoot height and stem diameter decreased with increasing root damage when compared to controls. After three years on the planting site, shoot height was reduced by 2, 8, 11, and 18% while stem diameter was reduced by 4, 21, 25, and 24% for 20, 40, 60, and 80% frost damage, respectively. For pruned seedlings, shoot height was increased by 3% at 20% damage and was decreased by 1, 3, and 13% for 40, 60, and 80% root damage while stem diameter was reduced by 1, 4, 8, 19% for 20, 40, 60, and 80% respectively. Use of damaged seedlings on the planting sites should be limited in order to reduce the cost of replacement planting.     

Chlorophyll fluorescence as an indicator of frost hardiness in white spruce seedlings from different latitudes

This study examined the utility of variable chlorophyll fluorescence (F_var) to detect freezing damage in white spruce seedlings of four seedlots. Logistic regression analysis done for freezing tests in September showed that visible needle damage from freezing could be estimated by the F_var attributes F_o/I_ABS(r²=0.94), F_p(r²=0.98), F_v/F_m (r²=0.99), and F₁(r²=0.86). The regression curves indicated that for all four fluorescence attributes, inflection points occurred between 10 and 20% visible needle damage. The lack of a relationship between fluorescence attributes and visible seedling needle damage in October through December is because the minimum temperature (–18 and –24°C respectively) applied was insufficient to cause needle damage. Freezing-induced changes to F_var attributes can be detected which also result in photosynthetic rate decreases when no visible needle damage, and even electrolyte conductivity changes are evident. F_var attribute differences due to freezing can be resolved to the seedlot level. The Fvar curve feature manifested 5 seconds after dark-adapted seedlings have been exposed to light (F_5s) will estimate (r²=0.76) photosynthetic rate after freezing.     

Short-day treatment during the growing period limits shoot growth and increases frost hardiness of hybrid aspen plants in the nursery

In Finland, under nursery conditions hybrid aspen may continue their shoot growth until early September. Thus, frost hardening is usually delayed. To solve this problem, we used a three-week period of short-day (SD) treatment between late July and mid-August. During autumn after frost exposure, frost hardiness (FH) was assessed three times with a stem-browning test. The re-sults showed that after SD treatment shoot growth ceased and FH increased when compared to untreated hybrid aspen. Furthermore, the height of SD-treated hybrid aspen varied much less than that of the control plants. We conclude that SD treatment in the nursery during the growing period can be used as a supplementary method for producing well-hardened and uniform hybrid aspen plants.     

Effects of early long-night treatment on diameter and height growth,second flush and frost tolerance in two-year-old Picea abies container seedlings

Abstract

The object of this study was to obtain Norway spruce seedlings with buds set, ready for summer planting from 1 July. An early long-night treatment prevented flushing of the newly formed terminal buds and ceased height growth, but slightly reduced hardiness in buds and needles. Nevertheless, a sufficient hardiness level in the autumn was acquired at a Norwegian nursery at 59°46′ N, with plants of the local provenance given a long-night treatment (14 h) for 13 days from 25 June. Similar treatment at a nursery at 64°30′ N did not give the same result; all treatments led to a second flush with resumed growth of the local provenance. A trial with seed lots from several provenances was therefore performed at this nursery, and a significant correlation was found between the critical night length of the seed lot and their ability to produce non-flushing buds; the longer the critical night length of the seed lot, the fewer non-flushing buds. Responses at the northern nursery are probably due to the lack of a dark period after termination of the treatment, and too short a treatment period to attain bud dormancy. An early and successful long-night treatment will also produce shorter seedlings with a larger root collar diameter.     

Freezing temperatures in the root zone—effects on growth of containerized Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies seedlings

Roots of 1‐year‐old containerized seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) were experimentally frozen in December. The seedlings were then grown for 3 weeks in a growth chamber and evaluated with regard to root growth capacity (RGC) and shoot elongation. The subsequent RGC of Scots pine declined as root zone temperatures were lowered from ‐6°C to ‐11°C and from ‐11°C to ‐16°C. Almost no root growth was observed after exposure to ‐20°C. Shoot growth was also negatively affected by low root temperatures but less than root growth. Low root temperatures did not affect Norway spruce as much as Scots pine, although root and shoot growth of Norway spruce were reduced after exposure to the lowest test temperatures (‐16°C and ‐20°C). The length of exposure, ranging between 1 and 8 hours had no effect on subsequent growth.     

Photosynthesis and root respiration of Pinus sylvestris and picea abies seedlings after different root freezing and storage temperatures

Photosynthetic performance and root respiration were measured for seedlings of Scots pine and Norway spruce under constant conditions in an open gas exchange system in the laboratory. Measurements were carried out after root exposure to ‐20, ‐5 and 0°C and subsequent longtime storage in darkness at +1 or +4°C. Stomatal conductance in relation to net photosynthetic rates was also investigated after the same treatment of seedlings. Root respiration was low for seedlings whose root system had been exposed to ‐20°C, Scots pine showing lower rates than Norway spruce. This was probably an indication of root damage. At least for one provenance of Scots pine, respiration rates were higher for seedlings stored at +1 than at +4°C. Photosynthetic performance was also lowest for seedlings whose roots had been exposed to +20°C compared to higher temperatures, the difference being more clear‐cut for Norway spruce than for Scots pine. Storage at +1 gave slightly higher photosynthetic rates than at +4°C. There was a close relation between stomatal conductance measured on individual needles and photosynthetic performance measured on the whole seedling.     

The effect of sub-zero temperatures in the light and dark on cold-hardened,dehardened and newly flushed white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench.] Voss) seedlings

Cold hardened, dehardened, and newly flushed foliage of one year old white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench.] Voss) seedlings were exposed to various sub-zero temperatures (--2 to --22.5°C) either in the dark or light. The freezing treatment had no significant effect on the variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence ratio (F_v/F_m) of hardened seedlings, either in the light or dark. Also, no visible damage or increase in electrolyte leakage were evident in either the light or the dark treated seedlings. Both dehardened and newly flushed foliage were significantly affected by the freezing treatment, and light enhanced the effect. A decline in F_v/F_mincreased electrolyte leakage and visible damage were observed at warmer temperatures in newly flushed needles than in dehardened needles. Seedlings exposed to sub-zero treatments in the light also had lower F_v/F_m, increased electrolyte leakage and showed more visible damage than seedlings exposed to the same sub-zero treatments in the dark. The temperature where 50% of the needles were damaged (LT₅₀) as estimated from visible damage data was --10.8°C in the light and --12.1°C in the dark for dehardened, one year old needles. The LT₅₀in newly flushed needles was --4.8°C in the light and --6.2°C in the dark. Recovery of F_v/F_mvalues 3 days after freezing exposure was only evident in treatments where little visible damage was present. Both F_v/F_mand electrolyte leakage were strongly correlated with visible damage.     

Seasonal variation in root growth capacity during cultivation of container grown Pinus sylvestris seedlings

Root growth capacity (RGC) in Scots pine seedlings was studied from the time of sowing and during the following two growing seasons. The method used for measuring RGC is also described. In the first growing season root growth was intense during the period mid‐July to mid‐September with an earlier peak for early sowing dates. After a period of low growth activity during winter, RGC rose sharply in early spring. During periods of intensive shoot elongation in May and June root growth was depressed. After shoot elongation was completed, RGC rose again before declining during the autumn. During winter and the second growing season, higher RGC levels were obtained for seedlings sown in June compared to the ones sown in April. This result is discussed with regard to differences in cultivation regimes.     

Early root morphology of jack pine seedlings grown in different types of container

Abstract

This study compared the effects of container type on early root system morphology of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings to determine impacts of container type on root characteristics that may be important for tree stability. Seedlings were grown for one season in Multipots®, Ventblocks®, Copperblocks®, Starpots® and Jiffy® pellets, and for a second season in sand culture in pots. After the first growing season, roots that had grown between Jiffy plugs were cut using a knife, either “early”, in September, or “late”, in November. Seedlings produced in non-pruning containers, Multipots and Ventblocks, had more vertical structural roots, less even root distribution and high shoot:root mass after a second season. Seedlings grown in pruning containers, Copperblocks, Starpots and Jiffy pellets, had more horizontal structural roots and more evenly distributed roots. Jiffy seedlings had high shoot:root mass after pruning, but ratios decreased to low levels similar to Starpots and Copperblocks after a second season in pots. Early pruning of Jiffy seedlings removed less root mass than late pruning, but total live root mass of early and late pruned seedlings was similar after the potting trial. Pruning containers thus produced structural root forms with more desirable characteristics for tree stability. These characteristics were evident after the first season and persisted after the second season in the potting trial.     

长白山林区鱼鳞云杉上一种新干基白腐病

这种新干基白腐病的病原菌为绒毛昂氏孔菌Ｏｎｎｉａ ｔｏｍ ｅｎｔｏｓａ。该病主要发生于成熟林分，造成干基特别是根部腐朽。被侵染树木极易风折或风倒而死亡。根据中国的材料对该病的病原菌形态特征进行了详细描述，并与北美及欧洲的标本进行了比较研究。     

Effect of shoot size on the gas exchange and growth of containerized Picea mariana seedlings under different watering regimes

Containerized black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) seedlings of three different sizes (small, medium, and large) were planted in raised sand beds maintained under wet, moderately dry or dry watering regimes during the growing season. The small seedlings were of a conventional stock type. The two larger sizes were novel stock types grown in larger containers. Physiological measurements during the summer showed that the small and medium seedlings maintained nearly similar levels of gas exchanges and water status, but that the large seedlings had reduced net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance under all watering regimes. Analysis of dry masses showed comparable relative growth rates in the small and medium seedlings, but a small to null growth in the large seedlings. Examination of root relative growth rate under wet conditions revealed significant root growth in small and medium seedlings, but negligible growth in the large seedlings. It was concluded that increasing the shoot size of containerized seedlings can be achieved without increasing the susceptibility of the seedlings to water stress, as long as the vigour of the root system is maintained.     

北美兰云杉全光喷雾下扦插影响因子研究

试验通过采用5因素4水平正交试验法,选出了适合北美兰云杉嫩枝扦插的最佳处理组合:草炭 珍珠岩基质 100 mg/L自配生根剂 2 a母树穗条。通过方差分析发现穗条母树年龄、基质种类对扦插生根率有显著影响,其中穗条母树年龄为2 a时,平均生根率达到了77.5%。基质种类对生根的影响是通过基质质地、通透性、保水力、地温、肥力等多因素共同作用的。综合看,草炭 珍珠岩基质是北美兰云杉扦插最为理想的基质,河沙基质最差。     

Root and shoot allometry of bareroot and container Douglas-fir seedlings

Detailed root and shoot development of bareroot and container Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedling stocktypes were compared during the first growing season after outplanting. The study was installed in raised beds with ideal environmental conditions and at a field reforestation site. Survival at both sites was 98% and did not differ between stocktypes. Seedlings were excavated in spring (5, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after planting) and in fall (35, 40, and 45 weeks after planting). In spring, container seedlings had more numbers of new roots and greater new root and shoot biomass than bareroot seedlings at both sites. In fall, bareroot seedlings consistently averaged more new root growth (though nonsignificant) than container seedlings suggesting that stocktype differences may not continue long-term. Container seedlings had significantly greater water percent than bareroot seedlings at the field site (all sample dates) and the raised bed site (weeks 5, 8, and 40 only). Regardless of environmental conditions or season, seedlings at both sites maintained water percent between 60 and 70% of fresh weight. Seedlings grown in the raised beds had much greater growth than those grown in the field. However, relative growth patterns for the two stocktypes were very similar on each site. The data generated establish baseline differences between stocktypes for root initiation, growth, and allometry during the first year after planting. Challenges associated with root development research are discussed.     

Influence of nutrient supply on spring frost hardiness and time of bud break in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings

When spring frosts occur on recently planted forest sites, severe damage may occur to the seedlings. The aim of the present study was to test how different low levels of nutrient concentrations in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings affected spring frost hardiness and time of bud break. Seedlings were grown in a greenhouse for one season and supplied with fertiliser containing 22, 43 and 72 mg N l^–1, respectively. The treatments resulted in needle nitrogen concentrations ranging from 0.9 to 1.8% in autumn. After winter storage at 0 °C, bud break was recorded on seedlings growing in the greenhouse, outdoors and in growth chambers at 12 °C and at 17 °C. Freezing tests were performed on seedlings directly removed from winter storage and following one week growth in the greenhouse. Seedlings receiving fertiliser with 43 mg N l^–1 had less freezing injury than the two other fertilisation treatments in the present study. The earliest bud break occurred in seedlings receiving 72 mg N l^–1.     

Effect of thawing regime on growth and mortality of frozen-stored Norway spruce container seedlings planted in cold and warm soil

One-year-old frozen-stored Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) container seedlings were planted in a controlled environment providing an air temperature of 22°C and soil temperature of 9±1 or 18±1°C. At planting the root plugs were either frozen or had been thawing for 4 days at 9°C. During a 5-week growing period, in both cold and warm soil the root growth and height growth were less in frozen-planted seedlings than in thawed seedlings. In addition, frozen-planting delayed bud burst and increased mortality. Soil temperature, however, had no effect on bud burst or mortality. Low soil temperature retarded root growth of seedlings thawed before planting but resulted in both retarded root growth and height growth if root plugs were frozen when planted. These results indicate that planting Norway spruce seedlings with frozen root plugs constitutes a considerable risk for successful forest regeneration at soil temperatures normally prevailing in Fennoscandia in spring or early summer especially if the soil is dry at the time of the planting.     

落叶松人工林下红皮云杉和青海云杉的幼苗更新

落叶松幼苗在其人工林内难以更新。为探讨红皮云杉和青海云杉幼苗是否具有在落叶松人工林内成功定植并替代落叶松更新的潜力,采用红皮云杉和青海云杉幼苗在不同落叶松人工林(样地Ⅰ:1 300株·hm^-2的平地,样地Ⅱ,660株·hm^-2的平地;样地Ⅲ,330株·hm^-2的平地;样地Ⅳ,660株·hm^-2的坡地)下进行人工更新。结果表明:1)样地Ⅰ和样地Ⅱ更适宜红皮云杉和青海云杉幼苗的存活,且同一样地内,红皮云杉幼苗的成活率均高于青海云杉的;2)同一样地内,红皮云杉幼苗的地上生物量均高于青海云杉的,并且在样地Ⅰ和样地Ⅱ红皮云杉的地上生物量显著高于青海云杉的;3)在不同落叶松人工林样地,红皮云杉和青海云杉幼苗的1级根均有较好的外生菌根侵染;4)红皮云杉幼苗的1级根直径受环境影响较大,而青海云杉幼苗的1级根皮层厚度受环境影响较大。同一样地内,2种云杉幼苗的1级根解剖结构除在样地Ⅳ表现出明显的差异外,在其它样地基本无显著差异。红皮云杉和青海云杉幼苗均适宜在落叶松人工林内存活,但相对高密度的林分更适宜云杉幼苗的生长,且红皮云杉比青海云杉更具生长优势。     

Configuration and development of root systems of cuttings and seedlings of Eucalyptus globulus

Stem cuttings of Eucalyptus globulus are used within tree improvement programs and for mass deployment. To be successful, cuttings must perform as well or better than seedlings. The root systems of cuttings are fundamentally different from those of seedlings. If these differences influence growth, the differences and their consequences must be identified and the propagation system manipulated to improve performance of the propagules.Cuttings are only a viable alternative to seedlings as planting stock if the method of propagation does not affect their growth and development adversely. Full-sibling cuttings and seedlings of Eucalyptus globulus were compared under controlled environmental conditions to minimise extraneous sources of variation, and to establish whether changes in growth or development were induced by propagation. On three occasions over a period of eight weeks root-collar diameter, shoot height, leaf and stem weight, shoot/root ratios and root system morphology were measured on cuttings and seedlings. Seedlings were taller than cuttings throughout the experiment, but both plant types had similar height growth rates. Diameter growth rates were lower in cuttings than seedlings, and there were differences in both height and diameter growth rates between families. Root system configuration differed between the plant types. Seedlings had strongly gravitropic tap-roots, with two types of primary roots from which secondary roots emerged. Cuttings had no tap roots, and the main structural components of their root systems were adventitious roots formed during propagation. Cuttings did not develop further structural roots during the experiment, whereas seedlings continued to develop primary roots. Individual primary roots of cuttings were longer and had larger mid-point diameters than those of seedlings, but the total length of primary roots was greater in seedlings. Seedlings also had a greater number and total length of secondary roots. Shoot/root ratios, calculated from a range of functional measures, were higher in cuttings than seedlings.     

Effect of thermal modification temperature on the mechanical properties,dimensional stability,and biological durability of black spruce (Picea mariana)

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of thermal modification temperature on the mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and biological durability of Picea mariana. The boards were thermally modified at different temperatures 190, 200 and 210 °C. The results indicated that the thermal modification of wood caused a significant decrease in the modulus of rupture (MOR) after 190 °C, while the modulus of elasticity (MOE) seemed less affected with a slight increase up to 200 °C and slight decrease with further increase in temperature. The hardness of the thermally modified wood increased in the axial direction. This increase was also observed in tangential and axial directions but at a lesser extent. The final value was slightly higher in axial direction and lower in radial and tangential directions compared to those of the untreated wood. Dimensional stability improved with thermal modification in the three directions compared to the dimensional stability of unmodified wood. The fungal degradation results showed that the decay resistance of thermally modified wood against the wood-rotting fungi Trametes versicolor and Gloephyllum trabeum improved compared to that of the untreated wood. By contrast, the thermal modification of P. mariana had a limited effect on the degradation caused by the fungus Poria placenta.