First-Year Survival and Growth of Bareroot and Container Water Oak and Willow Oak Seedlings Grown at Different Levels of Mineral Nutrition

Abstract

Bareroot and container water oak (Quercus nigra) and willow oak (Quercus phellos) seedlings were treated with 3 different levels of nitrogen (N) mineral fertilizer applied during the growing season in the nursery. Comparisons were made between species, N treatments, and stock-types for seedling morphology, first-year survival and height growth, and seedling water relations. Water oak seedlings were shorter, heavier, and more first-order lateral roots than the willow oak seedlings. The N fertilizer treatments did not have a statistically significant effect on seedling morphology. Bareroot seedlings were taller, had greater root-collar diameters, and were heavier than the container seedlings. The seedlings were hand-planted on an old pasture site located near Nacogdoches, TX. First-year survival was about 80 percent regardless of species, N treatment, or stock-type. Bareroot seedlings had less first-year height growth than container seedlings. Container seedlings fertilized at the highest N rate had greater stomata1 conductance and transpiration rates early in the growing season than the container seedlings fertilized at the lowest rate.

Citation

Williams, Hans; Stroupe, Matthew. 2002. First-Year Survival and Growth of Bareroot and Container Water Oak and Willow Oak Seedlings Grown at Different Levels of Mineral Nutrition. In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pg. 338-341