Influence of Initial Seedling Size and Rate of Nitrogen Fertilizer on the Growth of Containerized Pecan Trees
Pecan seedlings were randomly selected and divided into two lots according to size. Seven rates and three sources of nitrogen based fertilizers were applied four times starting on 6 May, 20 June, 4 July, and 15 Aug. Leachates were taken 3 weeks after each application. The pH range after the first application ranged from 6.0 to 7.0. After the fourth the pH had dropped to a range of 5.0 to 6.0. The TDS ranged from 0 to 6.0 mS after the first application to a 2.1 to 0.5 mS after the last application. Growth rates varied slightly among treatments. The average growth rate among seedlings was only slightly affected by nitrogen fertilize rates. Within 12 weeks the average growth was 1.3 mm. There were only slight differences in growth between the low and high rates of NH4·NO3 fertilizer. The growth rate decreased somewhat in response to increased rates of application of Ca·NO3.