Modeling the effect of physiological responses to green pruning on net biomass production of Eucalyptus nitens

Green pruning of Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden increases instantaneous rates of light-saturated CO(2) assimilation (A), and changes patterns of total leaf area and foliage distribution. We investigated the importance of such changes on the rate of recovery of growth following pruning. A simple process-based model was developed to estimate daily net biomass production (G(d)) of three-year-old plantation-grown trees over a 20-month period. The trees had been pruned by removal of 0, 50 or 70% of the length of green crown, equivalent to removal of 0, 55 or 88% of leaf area, respectively, when the plantation verged on canopy closure. Total G(d) was reduced by only 20% immediately following the 50%-pruning treatment, as a result of both the high leaf dark respiration and low A in the portion of the crown removed compared to the top of the crown. Pruning at the time of canopy closure preempted a natural and rapid decline in G(d) of the lower crown. Although leaf area index (L) was approximately 6.0 at the time of pruning, high light interception (95%) occurred with an L of 4.0. The 50%-pruning treatment reduced L to 3.5, but the physiological responses to pruning were sufficient to compensate fully for the reduction in intercepted radiation within 110 days of pruning. The 70%-pruning treatment reduced L to 1.9, and reduced G(d) by 77%, reflecting the removal of branches with high A in the mid and upper crown. Physiological responses to the 70%-pruning treatment were insufficient to increase G(d) to the value of unpruned trees during the study. Model sensitivity analysis showed that increases in A following pruning increased G(d) by 20 and 25% in the 50- and 70%-pruned trees, respectively, 20 months after pruning. Changes in leaf area/foliage distribution had a greater effect on G(d) of 50%-pruned trees (47% increase) than did changes in A. However, the reduction in photosynthetic potential associated with the 70%-pruning treatment resulted in only small changes in leaf area/foliage distribution, which consequently had little effect on G(d). The effects of physiological processes occurring within the crown and in response to green pruning on G(d) are discussed with respect to pruning of plantations.     

Growth of young loblolly pine trees following pruning

Pruning loblolly pine trees is sometimes practiced to improve wood quality even though reduced growth following treatment may occur. Two experiments were established in February 2000 in the Piedmont region of Virginia, USA, to examine the impact of timing and intensity of pruning on subsequent growth of young loblolly pine trees. Results of one study indicated that there is a window of opportunity during the early portion of stand development where up to 50% of the live crown length can be removed without a significant loss of long-term height or diameter growth. Within a year following pruning at ages 3, 6 and 9 (all pruning treatments occurred prior to crown closure), crown mass had been restored and growth comparable to an unpruned control resumed. By age 11 there were no significant differences in cumulative height or dbh of any of the one-lift pruning treatments and the control. Findings from a second study planted at closer spacings where pruning treatments occurred at crown closure (age 6) showed that pruning some of the trees in a loblolly pine plantation does not result in a loss of long-term height or diameter growth or crown dominance for the pruned trees as compared to their unpruned neighbors. For both studies, growth reductions following pruning were small and transitory.     

Growth responses, physiology and decay associated with pruning plantation-grown Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and E. nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden

Detailed studies have been undertaken to define pruning regimes for Eucalyptus nitens, but little is known of E. globulus responses to pruning although this is a more commonly planted species. This paper describes experiments that aimed to identify (a) levels of pruning that reduce E. globulus growth, (b) physiological processes contributing to those growth responses, (c) the incidence of decay and factors influencing decay incidence following pruning of E. globulus, and (d) comparative responses of E. nitens and E. globulus to live branch pruning. Results of a field experiment indicated that removal of between 30 and 50% of the crown length was appropriate for E. globulus plantations verging on canopy closure. The significant reduction in height growth associated with removal of 50 or 70% of crown length suggested pruning should remain below 50% of crown length if reduced stem growth of pruned trees was to be avoided. Stem volume was only significantly reduced over the period of the experiment by 70% pruning, but it was estimated that standing volume following removal of 50% of crown length would be reduced by 82 m³ ha⁻¹ over a 20-year rotation if there were no other silvicultural interventions. The growth responses observed were probably related to large reductions in leaf area following 50 or 70% removal of crown length. Trees responded to pruning by changing patterns of biomass partitioning to favour stem growth at the expense of branch growth. A glasshouse study determined that light-saturated net CO₂ uptake (A_max) increased following pruning. E. nitens seedlings had both a higher baseline A_max and higher A_max following pruning than did E. globulus, which could partially explain the greater effect of pruning on E. globulus growth than has been observed for E. nitens in other studies. This result, as well as apparently different patterns of foliage distribution through the crowns of E. globulus and E. nitens, suggested that models of pruning responses need to be parameterised for both species. In addition, a more conservative pruning regime may be appropriate for E. globulus than E. nitens. Pruning increased the frequency of branch traces with decay infection, and there was a trend towards increasing decay outbreaks with increasing pruning severity. Decay outbreaks were more likely to occur following pruning of high angle or larger diameter branches.     

Impacts of thinning on structure,growth and risk of crown fire in a Pinus sylvestris L. plantation in northern Spain

We studied the combined effects of thinning on stand structure, growth, and fire risk for a Scots pine thinning trial in northern Spain 4 years following treatment. The thinning treatments were: no thinning, heavy thinning (32–46% of basal area removed) and very heavy thinning (51–57% of basal area removed). Thinning was achieved via a combination of systematic and selective methods by removing every seventh row of trees and then by cutting suppressed and subdominant trees in the remaining rows (i.e., thinning from below). Four years after thinning, mean values and probability density distributions of stand structural indices showed that the heavier the thinning, the stronger the tendency towards random tree spatial positions. Height and diameter differentiation were initially low for these plantations and decreased after the 4-year period in both control and thinned plots. Mark variograms indicated low spatial autocorrelation in tree diameters at short distances. Diameter increment was significantly correlated with the inter-tree competition indices, and also with the mean directional stand structural index. Two mixed models were proposed for estimating diameter increment using a spatial index based on basal area of larger trees (BALMOD) in one model versus spatial competition index by Bella in the other model. As well, a model to estimate canopy bulk density (CBD) was developed, as this variable is important for fire risk assessment. Both heavy and very heavy thinning resulted in a decrease of crown fire risk over no thinning, because of the reduction in CBD. However, thinning had no effect on the height to crown base and thus on the flame length for torching. Overall, although thinning did not increase size differentiation between trees in the short term, the increase in diameter increment following thinning and the reduction of crown fire risks support the use of thinning. Also, thinning is a necessary first step towards converting Scots pine plantations to more natural mixed broadleaved woodlands. In particular, the very heavy thinning treatment could be considered a first step towards conversion of overstocked stands.     

Root growth and carbohydrate responses in bearing citrus trees following partial canopy removal

In August, eight 4-m tall citrus trees were pruned by removing the top third of their canopy. Eight unpruned trees served as controls. Root growth, which was examined nondestructively with minirhizotrons over a four-month period, tended to be less in the pruned than unpruned trees seven days after pruning and this difference was significant (P < 0.05) from 14 to 49 days after pruning. Total reducing and ketone sugars (includes free fructose, sucrose and fructans) in the fine roots were less in pruned than unpruned trees 20 days after pruning, but not thereafter. By 30 days after pruning, at least 20% of the roots of the pruned trees at a soil depth of 9 to 35 cm apparently died. By 63 days after pruning, root length density had recovered to that of the unpruned trees, although starch reserves were 18% less in the fine roots of pruned than unpruned trees at this time. Nine to eleven months after pruning (May to July), total biomass of leaves and fine roots to a depth of 1 m were similar in pruned and unpruned trees. However, fruit biomass harvested in April from pruned trees was only 24% of that in the unpruned trees. In May, nonstructural carbohydrates in the fine and coarse roots of pruned trees were generally greater than in unpruned trees, possibly reflecting previous differences in fruit production.     

Crown structure and leaf area index development in thinned and unthinned Eucalyptus nitens plantations

The crown structure of Eucalyptus nitens (Deane & Maiden) Maiden 6 years after thinning, and the development of stand leaf area index both immediately and 6 years after thinning, were investigated. Thinning did not alter branch angle, branching density or the relationship between branch size and branch leaf area. However, larger branches were found in the lower crown of thinned trees and the increase in leaf area as a result of thinning occurred on the northern aspect of the crown. The vertical distribution of leaf area in unthinned trees was skewed toward the top of the crown and correlated with live crown ratio. The vertical distribution of leaf area in thinned trees tended to be less skewed and was unrelated to tree size or dominance. Leaf area index, as estimated from light interception measurements, increased at a constant rate soon after thinning regardless of residual stocking. In the longer term, residual stocking had a strong influence on leaf area increase per tree and was correlated with changes in crown length.     

修枝间伐对松突圆蚧抑制作用的研究

严重危害广东省沿海地区马尾松的松突圆蚧(Hemiberlesia pitysophila Takagi),自1982年在深圳、珠海等地发现后，至今危害面积约43万ha，其中枯萎或涉死的约8万ha。     

Measured and predicted changes in tree and stand water use following high-intensity thinning of an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantation

We investigated changes in the pattern of water use of an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden plantation soon after thinning. Sap flow sensors using heat pulse technology were deployed across three stands thinned to a final density of 100, 250 or 600 trees ha-1 plus an unthinned control (1250 trees ha-1). Changes in the relationship between tree size and daily water use were measured for 4 to 7 months after thinning. Thinning had no effect on sapwood water content. The increase in tree water use as a result of thinning was driven largely by significant changes in the radial pattern of sap velocity through the sapwood. The use of a canopy fraction factor in the Penman-Monteith equation to account for discontinuous canopies showed promise as a simple and effective method of scaling the model to predict transpiration from thinned plantations.     

桂西南马尾松人工林生长对不同强度采伐的动态响应

[目的]研究不同强度采伐下马尾松的生长动态,筛选适宜的采伐强度,为马尾松人工林近自然经营提供技术支撑。[方法]2007年10月在14年生马尾松人工林(保存密度1 100株·hm~(-2))内进行采伐试验,设置4个采伐强度,即保留密度分别为225、300、375、450株·hm~(-2),以不采伐为对照;其后,自2008年开始连续8 a,每2 a测定1次马尾松的胸径、树高、枝下高和冠面积等生长指标,并计算单株材积和林分蓄积量,应用方差分析和Duncan多重比较分析生长指标对不同采伐强度的动态响应。[结果]表明:采伐强度显著影响林分生长,其中,林分平均胸径、单株材积、冠面积的年均增长量随保留密度增大而减小,但均显著高于对照(P0.05)。采伐后第1 3年,马尾松冠面积增长量显著高于采伐后期,胸径则在采伐后第3 5年最高,而不同采伐强度对林分树高生长影响不明显。保留密度显著影响林分枝下高和蓄积量的动态变化,其年均增长量随密度增大而递增。5个处理间林分蓄积年均增长量的差异随林龄的增大而逐渐缩小。[结论]马尾松人工林生长对不同强度采伐的动态响应以树冠最敏感,冠面积首先陡然增大,进而引起胸径的快速生长。树高和枝下高在采伐后年均增量变化相对平稳。4个采伐强度均显著促进单株材积生长,而仅保留密度为225株·hm~(-2)的采伐对林分蓄积增长量影响显著。综合比较林分的单株材积和林分蓄积连年增长量,建议在桂西南15年生马尾松人工林近自然经营中宜选择300株·hm~(-2)的保留密度进行采伐。     

Tree species and pruning regime affect crop yield on bench terraces in SW Uganda

Integration of trees on farms may exert complementary or competitive effects on crop yield. This 4 year study examined novel systems in which Alnus acuminata (alnus), Calliandra calothyrsus (calliandra), Sesbania sesban (sesbania) or a mixture of all three were grown on the degraded upper part of bench terraces in Uganda; beans or maize were grown on the more fertile lower terrace during the short and long rains. Three pruning treatments (shoot, root or shoot + root pruning) were applied to the tree rows adjacent to the crops; shoot prunings were applied as green manure to the woodlot from which they came. Pruning increased survival in calliandra and reduced survival in sesbania; alnus was unaffected. Pruning reduced tree height and stem diameter in alnus, but did not affect calliandra or sesbania. Maize yield adjacent to unpruned calliandra, alnus and sesbania or a mixture of all three was reduced by 48, 17, 6 and 24% relative to sole maize. Shoot pruning initially sustained crop performance but shoot + root pruning became necessary when tree age exceeded 2 years; shoot + root pruning increased maize yield by 88, 40, 11 and 31% in the calliandra, alnus, sesbania and tree mixture systems relative to unpruned trees. Bean yield adjacent to unpruned calliandra, alnus, sesbania and the tree mixture was 44, 31, 33 and 22% lower than in sole crops and pruning had no significant effect on crop yield. The results suggest that sesbania fallows may be used on the upper terrace without reducing crop yield on the lower terrace, whereas pruning of alnus is needed to sustain yield. Calliandra woodlots appear to be unsuitable as crop yield was reduced even after pruning.     

思茅松种子园疏伐强度探究

为探索思茅松种子园保留密度对生长量和球果产量的特性,对7年生相同家系的思茅松种子园开展5种不同疏伐强度(疏伐强度25%、疏伐强度30%、疏伐强度45%、疏伐强度50%和不疏伐)的疏伐试验,观测试验前、2年后的生长量(树高、胸径、冠幅)和球果数,计算出相应的增长量,对增长量进行方差分析。结果表明:5种不同疏伐强度2年后树高、胸径、冠幅和球果数增长量最大的处理均是疏伐强度为50%的处理,树高增长量次之的处理是疏伐强度为25%的处理,胸径、冠幅和球果数增长量次之的均是疏伐强度为42%的处理。树高、胸径、冠幅和球果数增长量小的处理均是对照CK。5种不同疏伐强度的树高增长量差异不显著,胸径、冠幅和球果数增长量差异均显著。该差异可作为思茅松种子园郁闭期保留密度依据之一。     

Impact of artificial pruning on growth and secondary shoot development of wild cherry (Prunus avium L.)

Producing high value veneer wood requires that the tree bole be branch-free. This can be accomplished by natural or artificial pruning. Since wild cherry does not self prune well, pruning artificially is the only practical option. The study analysed the effect of conventional whorl-wise pruning and selective pruning, on height growth, diameter growth and secondary shoot development of wild cherry. Four pruning treatments were applied on cherry trees in summer 2007, one group of cherries was left unpruned to serve as a control: treatment C1 (upper 5 whorls left), C2 (upper 3 whorls left), S1 (removal of branches larger than 3 cm or with an angle to the stem < 40°), S2 (removal of branches larger than 2 cm or with an angle to the stem < 40°), N (unpruned). Data showed that height growth was not affected by pruning. In contrast, diameter growth at breast height of the C2 pruned cherry was reduced by approximately 5% (SE = 2.7%) in the year of pruning (trees were pruned in July). This pruning treatment produced significant (p = 0.028) nine percent less diameter growth than the control in the second year following pruning. The diameter increment of the C1 pruned trees with five whorls left after pruning and the selective pruned cherries were only about 4% (SE = 4.0%) smaller than the control after two years. This loss was statistically not significant. Analyses showed that on selective pruned trees the survival rate of secondary shoots was significantly reduced compared to those on whorl-wise pruned trees. Significant differences in the size of the secondary shoots were only found between the C1 and S1 (p < 0.05) pruned trees. We did not find differences in the total number of secondary shoots per tree among pruning treatments. Solely from a tree growth perspective, the moderate whorl-wise pruning treatment C1 and the selective prunings were equally effective in minimizing the reduction of diameter growth and are recommended in practice. However it was found that the survival of secondary shoots was reduced on selective pruned trees although the amount of pruning work needed in selective pruning was slightly greater than conventional moderate pruning.     

Effect of pruning Acacia mangium on growth,form and heart rot

Small volumes of timber are now being produced from Acacia mangium plantations in Indonesia. These trees require pruning and thinning to increase the strength and appearance of the wood. However, cut surfaces from pruning are potential infection courts for the entry of decay-causing fungi like heart rot. This study investigated the effects of pruning on stem form and the incidence of heart rot in an 18-month-old plantation of Acacia mangium in South Sumatra. The objectives were to assess whether pruning is associated with an increase in the incidence of heart rot and whether form pruning compared to lift pruning reduced the incidence of heart rot and improved stem form. Form pruning removed 25% of leaf area by removing large branches and those subtending a narrow angle with the stem up to 3 m height, and lift pruning removed 25% of crown length from below. Trees in these treatments were singled before pruning. The third treatment, a control, was not singled and was used to assess base levels of heart rot.No significant difference in diameter increment between the two pruning treatments was found. There was strong evidence that form pruning was associated with better form 18 months after treatment. Trees in this treatment had a reduced number of branches >30 mm diameter and improved stem straightness (reduced kink). Lift pruning reduced average branch size but did not improve stem straightness. No heart rot was detected in any treatment.The results showed that form pruning is likely to have positive benefits on stem straightness and is likely to be effective to any selected pruning height. However a subsequent lift pruning is still considered a requirement. While wounds created from pruning and singling are assumed to have a large impact on the incidence of heart rot, this may not be an issue unless there is a sufficient source of fungi present in the environment to invade the wounds.     

Effect of pruning on nitrogen dynamics within crowns of Pinus radiata

Stem injection of (15)N-labeled ammonium sulfate was used to determine effects of pruning on canopy nitrogen dynamics in open-grown Pinus radiata D. Don in New Zealand. Trees were planted in July 1990 and the isotope introduced in December 1994. Tree crowns were divided into three zones: base section, from which branches of pruned trees were removed; mid section, between the pruned zone and the height of the trees at the start of the year in which they were pruned; and top section, which grew predominantly after the isotope was applied. Pruning removed 32% of the green crown length, representing 75% of foliage biomass. Needles were sampled from each region of the crown until July 1996. Branch growth was used to predict foliage biomass for each sampling occasion. Approximately 45% of the applied isotope was recovered from needles sampled in December 1994 (1 week after application and immediately before pruning), two-thirds of which occurred in needles in the base section. Thereafter, changes in isotope content of needles in the base section of unpruned trees largely reflected foliage biomass fluctuations and dilution of the isotope by continued uptake from the unlabeled soil nitrogen pool. Recovery of isotope in needles from the mid-crown section increased by 58 and 86% from December 1994 to July 1995 in control and pruned trees, respectively. Within this crown section, there was evidence of isotope translocation from old to new needles, with both isotope dilution and efflux observed in the needle cohorts that had been present at the time the isotope was applied. Therefore, isotope dynamics did not reflect the dynamics of the total nitrogen pool in the mid-crown section. By July 1996, a small proportion of the applied isotope was recovered from the new foliage formed in the top section of the crown. Within the top section, isotope dynamics closely matched total nitrogen fluxes. Pruning the lower crown did not affect nitrogen dynamics elsewhere in the crown for the following 18 months.     

Photosynthetic responses of field-grown Pinus radiata trees to artificial and aphid-induced defoliation

The phloem-feeding aphid Essigella californica represents a potential threat to the productivity of Pinus radiata plantations in south-eastern Australia. Five- and nine-year-old field trials were used to characterize the effects of artificial and natural aphid-induced (E. californica) defoliation, respectively, on shoot photosynthesis and growth. Photosynthetic capacity (A(max)) was significantly greater following a 25% (D25) (13.8 μmol m(-2) s(-1)) and a 50% (D50) (15.9 μmol m(-2) s(-1)) single-event upper-crown artificial defoliation, 3 weeks after defoliation than in undefoliated control trees (12.9 μmol m(-2) s(-1)). This response was consistently observed for up to 11 weeks after the defoliation event; by Week 16, there was no difference in A(max) between control and defoliated trees. In the D50 treatment, this increased A(max) was not sufficient to fully compensate for the foliage loss as evidenced by the reduced diameter increment (by 15%) in defoliated trees 36 weeks after defoliation. In contrast, diameter increment of trees in the D25 treatment was unaffected by defoliation. The A(max) of trees experiencing upper-crown defoliation by natural and repeated E. californica infestations varied, depending on host genotype. Despite clear differences in defoliation levels between resistant and susceptible genotypes (17 vs. 35% of tree crown defoliated, respectively), growth of susceptible genotypes was not significantly different from that of resistant genotypes. The observed increases in A(max) in the lower crown of the canopy following attack suggested that susceptible genotypes were able to partly compensate for the loss of foliage by compensatory photosynthesis. The capacity of P. radiata to regulate photosynthesis in response to natural aphid-induced defoliation provides evidence that the impact of E. californica attack on stem growth will be less than expected, at least for up to 35% defoliation.     

Crown characteristics of juvenile loblolly pine 6 years after application of thinning and fertilization

Total foliage dry mass and leaf area at the canopy hierarchical level of needle, shoot, branch and crown were measured in 48 trees harvested from a 14-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation, six growing seasons after thinning and fertilization treatments.

In the unthinned treatment, upper crown needles were heavier and had more leaf area than lower crown needles. Branch- and crown-level leaf area of the thinned trees increased 91 and 109%, respectively, and whole-crown foliage biomass doubled. The increased crown leaf area was a result of more live branches and foliated shoots and larger branch sizes in the thinned treatment. Branch leaf area increased with increasing crown depth from the top to the mid-crown and decreased towards the base of the crown. Thinning stimulated foliage growth chiefly in the lower crown. At the same crown depth in the lower crown, branch leaf area was greater in the thinned treatment than in the unthinned treatment. Maximum leaf area per branch was located nearly 3–4 m below the top of the crown in the unthinned treatment and 4–5 m in the thinned treatment. Leaf area of the thinned-treatment trees increased 70% in the upper crown and 130% in the lower crown. Fertilization enhanced needle size and leaf area in the upper crown, but had no effect on leaf area and other variables at the shoot, branch and crown level. We conclude that the thinning-induced increase in light penetration within the canopy leads to increased branch size and crown leaf area. However, the branch and crown attributes have little response to fertilization and its interaction with thinning.     

Crown release improves growth of 20-year-old Betula alleghaniensis in tolerant northern hardwood stands

Twenty-year-old overstocked naturally regenerated yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton) were thinned near Thessalon, Ontario. Treatments consisted of either a control, or the removal of all competing trees at 1, 2, 3, or 4 m around the boles of the crop trees. The size of the openings created around the crop tree crowns was found to be more strongly correlated to diameter, clear bole length, and crown increment than the removal of competing trees using fixed distance from the stem. Crop trees responded well to thinning. Five-year diameter increment and crown diameter growth were positively correlated to size of the opening created around the crop tree crown. However, the relationship between height growth and size of canopy opening was weak. Clear bole length was found to be negatively correlated to the size of canopy opening. Few epicormic sprouts developed on the stems when all competing trees were removed at 1, 2, or 3 m around the crop tree boles. However, release at 4 m greatly increased the number and size of epicormic sprouts. Providing about a 15-m² opening around the crop tree crown, corresponding to approximately a 3-m removal of competing trees around the bole, provided a good balance between diameter increment and stem quality maintenance.     

Rejuvenating indigenous trees in agroforestry parkland systems for better fruit production using crown pruning

The effects of crown pruning of mature indigenous fruit trees of Vitellaria paradoxa C. F Gaertn (commonly known as karité) and Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R. Br. ex G. Don (commonly known as néré) on recovery of crown size and fruit yield were assessed during 6 years in an agroforestry parkland system in Burkina Faso. Three treatments of crown pruning (total-pruning, half-pruning and a control of no-pruning) were applied to karité and néré. Each treatment comprised ten individuals of each species or a total of 60 trees of both species. Six years after pruning, higher recovery (81%) of crown diameter was achieved in total-pruned trees of néré as opposed to karité which recovered by only 73%. On the contrary, fruit production in total-pruned trees of karité recovered by 83% 5 years after pruning and fully (100%) 6 years after pruning as opposed to néré which recovered by only 57% 5 years after pruning but declined to 16% on the sixth year probably due to interannual variability. Fruit yields did not differ significantly between unpruned and half-pruned trees of both species throughout the experiment period. Total pruning may, therefore, be recommended to farmers to rejuvenate old trees of karité in parklands on the basis of fast recovery of fruit and slow recovery of crown in the species. Slow recovery of crown in pruned trees is the most desirable characteristic in parklands in order to avoid the negative effect of tree shade on adjacent crop.     

Physiological response to pruning severity in Eucalyptus regnans plantations

The photosynthetic response to pruning was measured in two Eucalyptus regnans stands, aged 2 and 3 years, located in areas of high productivity on the coast of the province of Arauco, Chile. Variables such as rates of CO₂ assimilation and stomatal conductance were measured in three ages of foliage on trees with different pruning severity treatments, which corresponded to the removal of 0 % (control), 30, 50 and 70 % of live crown length. The 2-year-old stand measurements were performed at the time of pruning and 6, 10, 14 and 18 weeks later, and the 3-year stand, 5, 9, 18 and 28 weeks after pruning. In both trials, significant differences were found between the foliage ages for all instances of measurement showing the mature foliage the highest values up to 30 % higher than old foliage. There were also significant differences between pruning severity treatments in both trials in which, in general, the highest values of CO₂ assimilation were observed among the highest pruning severity treatments with values up to 40 % higher than the unpruned trees.     

Leaf traits in relation to crown development, light interception and growth of elite families of loblolly and slash pine

Crown architecture and size influence leaf area distribution within tree crowns and have large effects on the light environment in forest canopies. The use of selected genotypes in combination with silvicultural treatments that optimize site conditions in forest plantations provide both a challenge and an opportunity to study the biological and environmental determinants of forest growth. We investigated tree growth, crown development and leaf traits of two elite families of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and one family of slash pine (P. elliottii Mill.) at canopy closure. Two contrasting silvicultural treatments -- repeated fertilization and control of competing vegetation (MI treatment), and a single fertilization and control of competing vegetation treatment (C treatment) -- were applied at two experimental sites in the West Gulf Coastal Plain in Texas and Louisiana. At a common tree size (diameter at breast height), loblolly pine trees had longer and wider crowns, and at the plot-level, intercepted a greater fraction of photosynthetic photon flux than slash pine trees. Leaf-level, light-saturated assimilation rates (A(max)) and both mass- and area-based leaf nitrogen (N) decreased, and specific leaf area (SLA) increased with increasing canopy depth. Leaf-trait gradients were steeper in crowns of loblolly pine trees than of slash pine trees for SLA and leaf N, but not for A(max). There were no species differences in A(max), except in mass-based photosynthesis in upper crowns, but the effect of silvicultural treatment on A(max) differed between sites. Across all crown positions, A(max) was correlated with leaf N, but the relationship differed between sites and treatments. Observed patterns of variation in leaf properties within crowns reflected acclimation to developing light gradients in stands with closing canopies. Tree growth was not directly related to A(max), but there was a strong correlation between tree growth and plot-level light interception in both species. Growth efficiency was unaffected by silvicultural treatment. Thus, when coupled with leaf area and light interception at the crown and canopy levels, A(max) provides insight into family and silvicultural effects on tree growth.