Nutrient use by three geographic sources of eastern cottonwood

Abstract

Three geographic sources (Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Illinois) of 11-year-old eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) growing in Mississippi, U.S.A., were studied for differences in biomass and nutrient accumulation. The three sources produced about the same biomass (70-80 t/ha (1 short ton = 2000 lb. = 0.907 t; 1 long ton = 2240 lb. = 1.016 t», but the Louisiana source contained significantly lower N contents in the stems and lower K contents in both the stems and the total tree. Trees originating in Louisiana produced 640 g of dry matter for each 1 g of N found in the tree, compared with 430 g per gram of N for the Illinois source. The Louisiana source produced 430 g of dry matter per gram of K whereas the Illinois source produced about 200 g of biomass per.1 g of K. Thus, the Louisiana source appears to be more efficient in Nand K utilization. Data indicate that if this stand were harvested at age II, the Illinois source would remove 118 kg of Nand 284 kg of K per hectare from the site. The Louisiana source would remove only 73 kg of Nand 127 kg of K per hectare.

Citation

Blackmon, B. G.; Baker, James B.; Cooper, D. T. 1979. Nutrient use by three geographic sources of eastern cottonwood. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 9:532-534.