scholarly journals Influence of Root System Characteristics on Black Spruce Seedling Responses to Limiting Conditions

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémentine Pernot ◽  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
Annie DesRochers

Roots directly affect planted seedling adaptation to new growing conditions at reforestation sites. To test the influence of root characteristics on the short-term response of seedlings to limiting resources (water, nutrient, or oxygen), we conducted two experiments. We compared (1) the growth and physiology of three types of four-year-old black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) seedlings (Containerized, highly developed initial roots restricted to a plug; bareroot, less developed but unrestricted initial roots; deeply-planted containerized, restricted initial and adventitious roots) to different combinations of irrigation and fertilization. We also investigated (2) the cellular plasticity of adventitious and initial roots to three irrigation regimes including flooding. Bareroot seedlings had better relative growth rates in height than containerized seedlings, probably due to their larger initial size. On the other hand, containerized seedlings took better advantage of fertilization, as shown by a higher relative growth rate in diameter compared to bareroot seedlings and were less affected by water limitation, possibly due to the root plug acting as an additional water reserve capacity. For containerized seedlings, the presence of adventitious roots was beneficial to height growth and physiological performances compared to seedlings with initial roots only. Adventitious roots showed great cell plasticity, particularly under flooding conditions.

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2427-2434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Y. Bernier

Container-grown black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) seedlings were planted during 2 consecutive years alongside natural black spruce seedlings of similar initial height on an upland boreal forest clearcut. Acclimation of the planted seedlings to site conditions was followed by comparing needle conductance, shoot water potential, and growth of the planted seedlings to values obtained on the natural seedlings. Relative growth rates of the newly planted seedlings were significantly lower than those of the natural seedlings, but the difference was smaller during their second season in the field. Predawn and midday shoot water potential as well as midday needle conductance showed significant but relatively small differences between planted and natural seedlings during both years. On any given date of measurement, no clear relation could be found between water status and growth in planted seedlings. Seasonal midday averages of shoot water potential, needle conductance, and soil–plant resistance to water movement were related to the relative growth rates of all seedling types over the course of the two growing seasons. Seasonal averages of midday shoot water potential appeared to best reflect the acclimation of the planted seedlings to site conditions.


1961 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
S. U. Khan

It is sometimes said that "national planning will simply have no meaning if it completely ignores the economic disparities between the two wings and fails to evolve a sensible pattern of regional planning"2. The lack of much essential data on a regional basis, however, renders any precise estimate of the relative growth rates almost impossible. Data either are not available or are inadequate on such important variables as production, income, consumption and trade, so that even a correct evaluation of past development efforts is not possible. The implications of such a situation for future planning are not difficult to understand. In this article an attempt is made to estimate the absorption of specified commodities in East and West Pakistan separately3. This will indicate the pattern of consumption and also give a rough idea about the growth rate of the two wings. With this purpose in view, quantity indices of absorption are prepared for each wing separately, taking data on availability of goods and prices from the Institute's monograph on Inflation. The quantity indi¬ces, however, are not of course strictly comparable with national income estimates because of the difference in coverage of the two series. National income data include government, services, trade, etc., while the quantity indices cover only specified goods available for each region.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1091G-1091
Author(s):  
Anne K. Hurley ◽  
B. Greg Cobb

Cucumis sativus, L., `Poinsett' seedlings were grown under artificial light in 40% modified Hoagland's solution until an average plant plastochron index of 4.73 was reached. Plants were then placed in solutions of (1) 0 mM NaCl, (2) 80 mM NaCl (salt-shock), or (3) placed in a dropwise gradient solution of NaCl and Hoagland's until the final concentration of 80 mM NaCl was reached at 41 hours. Leaves of the 80 mM shock treatment wilted immediately, but recovered turgor within 6 hours. Leaves of 80 mM gradient did not wilt at anytime. The control and gradient treatments had relative growth rates which were similar to each other, but RGR decreased in the shock treatment. Invertase activity was measured in the roots at 24, 41, and 48 hours after initial treatment. Invertase activity of shock treatment increased significantly over the controls at 24 hours. The 80mM gradient was not significantly different than either treatment. Four isozymes of α– galactosidase were detected. The relative intensities of the bands varied with time and treatment. One invertase band was resolved in roots on 8% native acrylamide gels. SDS gels indicated increases in proteins in the gradient treatment compared to the control and the 80 mM shock treatment.


1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mudd ◽  
G. L. Bateman

AbstractGrowth of the food fungus of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (L.) on extracts of plants selected by the ants was shown to be affected by the plant species, the pH of the extract, the concentration of the sap or plant extract and pretreatment of the substrate by the ants. It was not possible to establish an unambiguous relationship between the rate of growth of the fungus on leaf extracts and the foraging preferences of the ants for the leaves. There were indications, however, that the fungus grows most rapidly on extracts of plant material preferred by A. cephalotes. Relative growth rates of the fungus on different substrates may be related to the presence of growth inhibitors rather than to nutrient availability.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1556-1568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thimmappa S. Anekonda ◽  
Richard S. Criddle ◽  
Lee D. Hansen ◽  
Mike Bacca

Seventeen Eucalyptus species and 30 rapid-growing Eucalyptuscamaldulensis trees (referred to as plus trees), growing in a plantation were studied to examine relationships among measured plant growth and respiratory parameters, geographical origins, and growth climate. The respiratory parameters measured at two different temperatures by isothermal calorimetry were metabolic heat rate, rate of CO2 production, and the ratio of heat rate to CO2 rate. Metabolic heat rate was also measured as a continuous function of temperature by differential scanning calorimetry in the range of 10 to 40 °C. Tree growth was measured as rates of height and stem volume growth. The values of respiratory and growth variables of Eucalyptus species are significantly correlated with latitude and altitude of origin of their seed sources. The maximum metabolic heat rate, the temperature of the maximum heat rate, the temperature coefficients of metabolic rate, and the temperatures at which the slopes of Arrhenius plots change are all genetically determined parameters that vary both within and among species. Measurement of growth rate–respiration rate–temperature relationships guide understanding of why relative growth rates of Eucalyptus species and individual genotypes differ with climate, making it possible to identify genotypes best suited for rapid growth in different climates. The temperature dependence of respiration rates is an important factor determining relative growth rates of eucalypts in different climates. To achieve optimum biomass production the temperature dependence of individual plants must be matched to growth climate.


1967 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Jackson

Growth analysis of cotton crops sown in the Sudan Gezira at monthly intervals between August and May revealed a marked seasonal pattern of growth. Irrespective of plant age and fruiting state growth of non-senescent plants was slowest during the cool winter months. Relative growth rates of young plants were highest in August, September and early October due to the high specific leaf areas and fairly high net assimilation rates found then. They were lowest when minimum temperatures were lowest. Net assimilation rates were also lowest in the coolest months, probably as a result of restricted growth. High temperatures in the spring reduced fruiting. It is concluded that low minimum temperatures and high evaporation rates are both associated with slow growth, and play a large part in determining the characteristic decline of growth rates of cotton sown at the usual date in August.I wish to thank the Chief of the Research Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Sudan, for permission to publish this paper and to record my gratitude to the team of field and laboratory assistants, especially Salih Saad and Hassan Osman, who helped in the work.


Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. LITTLE ◽  
W. CHADWICK ◽  
K. WATT

SUMMARYUnderstanding genetic relationships amongst the life-history traits of parasites is crucial for testing hypotheses on the evolution of virulence. This study therefore examined variation between parasite isolates (the bacterium Pasteuria ramosa) from the crustacean Daphnia magna. From a single wild-caught infected host we obtained 2 P. ramosa isolates that differed substantially in the mortality they caused. Surprisingly, the isolate causing higher early mortality was, on average, less successful at establishing infections and had a slower growth rate within hosts. The observation that within-host replication rate was negatively correlated with mortality could violate a central assumption of the trade-off hypothesis for the evolution of virulence, but we discuss a number of caveats which caution against premature rejection of the trade-off hypothesis. We sought to test if the characteristics of these parasite isolates were constant across host genotypes in a second experiment that included 2 Daphnia host clones. The relative growth rates of the two parasite isolates did indeed depend on the host genotype (although the rank order did not change). We suggest that testing evolutionary hypotheses for virulence may require substantial sampling of both host and parasite genetic variation, and discuss how selection for virulence may change with the epidemiological state of natural populations and how this can promote genetic variation for virulence.


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