Nutrient composition of blades, petioles, and whole leaves from fertilized and unfertilized yellow-poplar

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in leaf blades and petioles obtained from three fertilized and three unfertilized yellow-poplar sample trees were determined annually during a 4-year period. Concentrations were substantially higher in blades than in petioles. Fertilization increased N and P concentrations in blades, but petioles showed only a slight increase in N and a decrease in P. Because blades were more responsive to changes in external nutrient supply than petioles, and because fertilization affected the composition of blades and whole leaves unequally, blades give a more sensitive and accurate measure of nutrient concentration than petioles or whole leaves.

Citation

Auchmoody, L. R. 1974. Nutrient composition of blades, petioles, and whole leaves from fertilized and unfertilized yellow-poplar. Research Note NE-198. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 5p.