Cadmium uptake in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings

Root elongation of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings was inhibited in the presence of 5 microM Cd, but was unaffected by a Cd concentration at 0.05 microM. Nutrient solutions labeled with (109)Cd were used to investigate the influence of pH, cations and the metabolic inhibitor 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) on the uptake of Cd by roots of intact spruce seedlings. Extracellular Cd was removed by washing the roots, and the relative amounts of Cd in the root apoplast and symplast estimated. In the presence of DNP, Cd uptake was reduced at 0.05 microM (non-toxic) but not at 5 microM Cd (toxic). At 0.05 microM Cd, the uptake of Cd into both the apoplast and symplast was dependent on the pH of the nutrient solution. Lower pH decreased Cd accumulation. Aluminum supplied at 100 or 500 microM lowered the Cd concentrations of both the apoplast and symplast. An increase in Ca or Mg supply reduced the Cd concentration of the apoplast but not of the symplast. In the presence of 5 microM Mn, the concentration of Cd in the symplast decreased by 44% compared to the control (1 microM Mn). High concentrations of Zn or Hg did not affect the Cd concentration of the roots.     

Variation in shoot water status of Picea abies (L.) Karst. trees with different life histories

Daily dynamics of the shoot water potential (ψ) in Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] depending on soil water availability and atmospheric evaporative demand was studied on originally freely-grown trees and suppressed trees exposed to full sunlight after clear-cutting. The base water potential (ψ_b) was significantly correlated (R² = 0.73) with the available soil water storage (W_tr) at a depth of 20–40 cm. ψ_b was relatively constant at high soil water status and decreased sharply if W_tr dropped below 14 mm. Among the atmospheric factors observed, the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) proved to be the most relevant variable in predicting diurnal changes in ψ. The leaf water status was more sensitive to VPD at sufficient soil water storage. With soil drying, the daily amplitude of ψ diminished, testifying to the more efficient stomatal control under soil drought. For predicting the daily course of ψ from VPD and ψ_b (taken as a measure of the soil water availability) an empirical model was derived, which described 78–80% of the total variatin in the shoot water potential. In contrast to values of ψ_b, the daily values of ψ differed significantly (P < 0.05) between the trees with different life histories. The newly exposed trees demonstrated substantially lower values of ψ with increasing atmospheric evaporative demand at the same soil water availability. Dynamic water stress is considered one of the main causes of the continuing growth retardation in suppressed spruce trees after their release from overstorey.     

Development of containerized Picea abies (L.) Karst. seedlings grown with heavy watering on various peat,perlite and mineral wool mixtures

Effects of growth medium physical conditions were studied. Peat and two series of peat mixed with hydrophobic mineral wool or perlite in three mixing ratios were prepared. Growth media porosities were characterized by the standardized time method and seedling development by measurements of stem length and fresh and dry weight.Seedlings grown in media containing mineral wool showed less mortality, were larger and had more living root apices than seedlings in media lacking mineral wool. Growth media influenced most the stem length and dry weights and was best at higher porosity. The difference between mineral wool and perlite amendments was greater for dry weight than stem length, although the effect of mixing ratio was observed for mineral wool only.The media induced qualitative differences in shoots (foliage spiralling) and roots (branching, number of living root apices, lenticel intumescence).     

Impregnation of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) wood by hydrophobic oil and dispersion patterns in different tissues

Wood from Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) is biologicallydegraded in exposed conditions. It also has anatomical featuresthat make it difficult to impregnate with preservatives by currentlyavailable industrial processes. In the study reported here,we used the new Linotech process to impregnate Norway sprucewood with hydrophobic linseed oil and then quantified its uptakeand dispersal in anatomically distinct wood tissues. We alsoinvestigated the effects of the wood moisture content on theresults of the impregnation. Samples (500 x 25 x 25 mm) weretaken from 15 trees in a coniferous forest in northern Sweden(64° 10' N, 160–320 m a.s.l.). The parameters forthe Linotech process were 2–3 h treatment time at 0.8–1.4MPa and 60–140°C. To determine the level of uptake,the linseed oil was extracted from the impregnated wood usingmethyl-tertiary-butyl-ether. The uptake was quantitatively analysedby comparing X-ray microdensitometry values obtained followingimpregnation both before and after oil removal. In earlywood,initial moisture content had an obvious effect on the impregnationresult. Six times more oil was taken up when the moisture contentwas greater than ~150 per cent than when it was less than 30per cent. Theoretical calculations, based on density levels,suggest that the water-filled porosity of the wood (water volumedivided by porosity volume) was positively correlated with thelinseed oil uptake, and more strongly correlated in earlywoodthan in latewood. There were also significant differences inuptake between different wood tissues; heartwood/mature woodand heartwood/juvenile wood showed 10–20 per cent weightincreases due to linseed oil uptake, compared with 30–50per cent in sapwood/mature wood. Examination by scanning electronmicroscopy confirmed these uptake patterns. The moisture contentafter impregnation was about 5 per cent, irrespective of theLinotech process parameters, tissue type and initial moisturecontent. In conclusion, the impregnation process used here resultsin high levels of well-dispersed linseed oil uptake and shouldfacilitate drying.     

Crown architecture and stemwood production in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)

The morphological data for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees published by Burger (1953) were reanalyzed to examine the relationships between crown shape, needle and branch mass density of crown volume, needle efficiency in stemwood production, harvest index and stemwood production efficiency per unit of crown projected area. Production of stemwood per unit of crown projected area was higher in narrow-crowned trees than in broad-crowned trees because the narrow-crowned trees had (i) smaller horizontal space requirements for equal crown volumes, (ii) higher leaf area index due to both the geometrical crown shape and higher needle density per unit of crown volume, and (iii) higher harvest index indicating high allocation of dry matter production to stem.     

Influence of a high Mn supply on Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings in relation to the nitrogen source

Effects of 3, 25, 100, 200 and 800 microM Mn on biomass and pigment, starch and nitrate concentrations were studied in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings grown with either NO(3) (-) or NH(4) (+) as the sole nitrogen source. After 77 days of exposure to 800 microM Mn, shoot growth had ceased in about 50% of the seedlings independently of the N source. Despite high Mn concentrations in roots and shoots of the Mn-treated seedlings, no visible symptoms of Mn toxicity were evident. The rate of root elongation was decreased by treatment with >/= 200 microM Mn when N was supplied as NO(3) (-), but not when it was supplied as NH(4) (+). This difference could be attributed to the higher Mn concentrations in root tips of the NO(3) (-)-grown seedlings compared with the NH(4) (+)-grown seedlings. In Mn-treated seedlings, the concentration of Mg, and to a lesser extent that of Ca, decreased. Depletion of these elements might account for the observed growth depression. Potassium concentrations were similar in the control and Mn-treated seedlings. Treatment of seedlings with 800 microM Mn for 50 days led to several physiological changes: starch accumulated, the concentrations of nitrate and phenolic compounds increased, pigment concentrations decreased, and in vivo nitrate reductase activity in roots was reduced.     

Effect of Nutrient Optimization on Branch Characteristics in Picea abies (L.) Karst

The number and size of branches are major determinants of log grading. To study the effect of fertilization on branch characteristics in Norway spruce, trees were sampled in a nutrient optimization experiment in northern Sweden. Data were collected from 24 40-yr-old trees from fertilized and control plots after 12 yrs of annual nutrient application. On the fertilized plots, all essential macronutrients and micronutrients were supplied in irrigation water every second day during the growing season. Fertilization increased the number of new branches, but its effect on branch angle and branch mortality was small. Fertilization increased the diameter of the branches that were formed after the initiation of the treatment, but also the diameter of the branches that were formed before the fertilization commenced. Fertilization enhanced the general growth of a tree, but there were no significant changes in the relationships between stem and branch characteristics. Improved growth rate of trees, as an effect of fertilization, may impair branching quality of logs. Such negative effects may, however, to some extent be counteracted by planting density at stand establishment and later thinning regimens.     

Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Entomofauna der Fichtenzapfen,Picea abies (L.) Karst. in Norwegen

Zusammenfassung Aus 61 Fichtenzapfen,Picea abies (L.) Karst., gesammelt im September 1985 in Arendal, Norwegen, wurden 20 Arten Insekten (449 Individuen) aus den Ordnungen: Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera und Diptera gewonnen (Tab. 1). Dabei tratGaurax strobilum Karps (Dipt., Chloropidae) als neue Art für Norwegens Fauna auf.Es wird der Schlüpfverlauf vonKaltenbachiola strobi (Winn.) (Dipt., Cecidomyiidae) und seiner Parasiten (Abb. 1) dargestellt, nämlich:Anogmus vala (Walk.) (Pteromalidae),Platygaster contorticornis (Ratz.) (Platygasteridae),Tetrastichus strobilanae (Ratz.) (Eulophidae),Torymus azureus Boh. undT. caudatus Boh. (Torymidae).

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Contribution to the knowledge of entomofauna of the spruce cones,Picea abies (L.) Karst. in Norway

Information on 20 species (a total of 449 individuals) of insects, belonging to orders Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera, are given. Insects were obtained from cones of spruce,Picea abies (L.) Karst. collected in Norway in 1985.

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Mit einer Abbildung und einer Tabelle     

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.     

欧洲云杉扦插繁殖技术研究

为了快速有效地规模化扦插繁殖欧洲云杉,满足造林、绿化用苗的需要。采用全光照自动间歇喷雾装置,用河沙做基质。在林科院甘肃小陇山沙坝的实验基地做了ABT1、NAA、IBA、GGR不同激素,ABT1不同浓度和浸泡时间,5-10 cm、10-15 cm和〉15 cm三种不同插穗长度,5 a和23 a不同采穗母株年龄的嫩枝扦插试验及200 mg.kg^-1ABT1处理1 h的不同插穗类型（嫩枝带硬枝和嫩枝）的试验,用清水处理插穗做对照（CK）。试验数据采用spss12.0进行方差分析,结果表明：不同激素处理的插穗生根率差异显著。生根率大小顺序为：ABT〉GGR〉IBA〉NAA。而IBA处理的插穗生根数,根系总长和根系效果指数均大于其它处理,根系发达。ABT1不同浓度和浸泡时间处理的插穗生根率差异达极显著水平。以100.mg kg^-1和200 mg.kg^-1浸泡30 min和2 h生根率最好。50 mg.kg^-1浸泡1 h处理的插穗生根数、根系总长、根系效果指数大。嫩枝带硬枝和嫩枝生根率差异不显著,但生根数、根系总长和根系效果指数嫩枝带硬枝〉嫩枝。〉15 cm的插穗生根率和其它指标都高。采自23a生母株的插穗没有生根。     

Inoculation of Picea abies (L.) Karst. seedlings with vegetative inocula of ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus bovinus (L.: Fr.) O. Kuntze and Inocybe lacera (Fr.) Kumm.

Perlite-peat substrate (2:1 v:v) fumigated with Basamide was inoculated with vegetative inocula (a mixture of perlite and peat moistened with the MMN liquid medium) of ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus bovinus (isolate TUZ 105) and Inocybe lacera (isolate X/14) immediately before seeding with Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) in a nursery bed. Suillus inoculum was applied at rates of 0.5; 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 litres per m², Inocybe inoculum at rates of 0.5 and 1.5 litres per m². At the end of the first growing season, all inoculation treatments showed a significantly greater mycorrhizal infection of bareroot seedlings compared to that found in both fumigated and unfumigated controls. The ectomycorrhizal 1-year-old seedlings were transplanted into containers. At the end of the second year, ectomycorrhizal infection of the 2-year-old container-grown seedlings was considerably less than that of the 1-year-old barerooted seedlings, probably as a consequence of too high fertility and/or insufficient porosity/aeration of pure peat moss medium. There was no difference in seedling growth between inoculated and uninoculated seedlings throughout the experiment.     

A model describing natural regeneration recruitment of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in Austria

In the absence of reliable and representative data on the frequency of seed years, seed amounts, germination and survival of seeds, the data of the observation period 1992–1996 of the permanent national forest inventory of Austria are used to develop a model describing the probability for the occurrence, density and height of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) natural regeneration in the forests of Austria. The forest inventory provided data on natural regeneration (saplings between 10 and 130 cm height) on clusters within a 3.89 km square sampling grid. A logistic equation is used to predict the probability for natural regeneration occurrence. Input parameters for this equation are the variables that describe the site, with slope and azimuth as continuous variables, and growth districts and vegetation types as discrete variables; the crown competition factor describes density and the quadratic mean diameter describes the stage of development of the stand. The same equation type is used to predict the probability for the occurrence of Norway spruce, conditional on the occurrence of some regeneration. An additional variable in this species specific model is a dummy variable which is set to 1 if Norway spruce occurs in the overstory and otherwise zero. Additional site variables entering this model are elevation and vegetation types characterizing soil fertility and moisture. Because the density and height of spruce regeneration depends on the stand's susceptibility to browsing, the probability for browsing is also modelled as a logistic equation depending on elevation, vegetation type, and stand density. Finally the probability distribution for height and density of the regeneration is described by two bivariate Weibull-distributions, each one describing browsed and unbrowsed Norway spruce regeneration respectively.     

A selection experiment for height growth with cuttings of Picea abies (L.) Karst

Twenty sets, each consisting of a tall, a medium, and a small plant, were selected from a 2 by 2‐year‐old nursery crop. Selection differential was measured. Cutting propagation was undertaken and the subsequent clones were tested in a field experiment. Differences between groups at age 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 10 were calculated, and ortet/ramet regressions and age‐to‐age correlations were conducted. Selection of the tall plants gave a response of approximately 17% at age 10. Accumulated genetic gain at this age by a specified stepwise selection procedure is estimated to 36%. Step one is the early selection in the nursery, step two is a later selection amongst the early selected clones and performed after 7 years’ field testing. Ageing of clones, selection for other traits and application of the clones over a variety of sites will reduce these gains.     

Presence of longitudinal cracks in planks from storm-felled pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)

Abstract

After the severe storm Gudrun in southern Sweden in 2005, a quantitative study was done in order to investigate the presence of lengthwise crack on planks taken from storm-felled trees in southern Sweden, compared to planks from standing trees not subjected to this storm (central Sweden). The main yield from each log was examined. In total, 1087 pine (Pinus sylvestris) planks and 3626 spruce (Picea abies) planks from the storm-struck area were investigated and compared to 1953 spruce and 2000 pine planks from trees outside the storm-struck area. The examination of cracks was done visually on dried planks. For pine, 51.7% of the planks from storm-felled trees had a total length longer than 0.5 m, compared to 7.3% for the reference material. As for spruce, 11.0% of the planks from storm-felled trees had a total crack length of more than 0.5 m, compared to the reference material where 2.2% had cracks longer than 0.5 m. The results show that the storm-felled trees had more longitudinal cracks than the reference material and that pine was more likely to develop storm-related cracks than spruce.     

Genetic variation in Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Fomes annosus (Fr.) Cke. shown by growth of the fungus on wood dust

Growth of Fomes annosus is studied by a test based on growth of previously starved hyphae on sawdust of heartwood of Picea abies as the only nutrition. Our observations show that the method can be used to distinguish beween different spruce individuals or clones, between different Fomes annosus strains and between different growing sites of the trees.