Influence of fertilizer timing on seasonal nutrient uptake and dry-matter production by young Pinus radiata in southern western Australia

Seasonal changes in above ground dry-matter, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) accumulation were measured following application of N and P in autumn or spring to 1-year-old Pinus radiata (D. Don). Dry-matter production and nutrient accumulation were measured eight times over two years following fertilization.

All trees produced dry-matter throughout the year, but during the summer, fertilized trees produced more dry-matter than unfertilized trees. In contrast to dry-matter production, nutrient accumulation showed a distinctly seasonal pattern with maximum accumulation of N and P occurring in winter and spring, when rainfall and soil moisture were highest. Accumulation of N and P either slowed markedly or ceased during summer depending on fertilizer treatment. Continued dry-matter production during summer, when nutrient accumulation was low, resulted in the decline of N and P concentrations in needles, branches and stems of all trees. This indicated that nutrients required for new growth during summer were mobilized from existing foliage and wood. Fertilization increased the concentrations of N and P in foliage and wood, and these higher concentrations persisted through summer. Spring fertilization increased N accumulation to a greater extent than autumn fertilization, this effect lasting two years. The greater dry-matter production by fertilized trees during summer indicated that growth during summer was limited by nutrient supply.