The Concentration of Nutrients in Tissues of Plantation-Grown Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bart.)

Abstract

Nutrient concentrations were determined for 10 tissues from each of 24 cottonwood trees that ranged in age from four to 16 years. Highest concentrations occurred in the most physiologically active tissues; i.e., stemtips, current branches and foliage. Tree age had little influence on the variation in nutrient concentration of tissues. Some differences in concentrations of nutrients in foliage were associated with differences in chemical properties of the soils. Concentrations of P, Ca and Mg were above proposed critical levels for cottonwood, but concentrations of N were slightly below the critical level. The concentration of K in the foliage varied with the level of exchangeable K in the soil. However, the range of observed variation was not reflected in the productivity of the several plantation soils. Gradients in nutrient concentrations along the length of stems occurred in both stemwood and stembark. Concentrations in stems were highest near the apex and lowest at the base, and the greatest rates of change were in the portion of the stem within the living crown. The gradients were most evident for N, P and K. Concentration gradients in stembark were similar in pattern to those in stemwood except for Ca, which was highest at the base of stems. Coefficients of correlation of nutrient concentrations among tissues generally were low. Thus, the nutrient concentration of any single tissue cannot reliably serve as a predictor of nutrient levels in other tissues.

Citation

Shelton, M. G.; Nelson, L. E.; Switzer, G. L.; Blackmon, B. G. 1981. The Concentration of Nutrients in Tissues of Plantation-Grown Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bart.). Technical Bulletin 106. Mississippi State University, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. 10 p.