Foliar deficiencies of sugar maple stands associated with soil cation imbalances in the Quebec Appalachians

1995 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Camiré
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Nutrient Stress ◽  
Exchangeable Cations ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Ca Deficiency ◽  
Exchangeable Ca ◽  
Foliar Nutrient

Widespread symptoms of foliar deficiency of P and K have been observed for almost a decade in most of the declining hardwood forest in the Quebec Appalachians. We hypothesized that the foliar nutrient disturbances were related to the chemical equilibrium of exchangeable soil cations. Mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) foliage, and soil H-Ah and B horizon from 246 hardwood stands located in the Quebec Appalachians were sampled and analyzed. A cluster analysis using the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) indices of the foliar data permitted the identification of six different nutritional groups: one slightly and one strongly deficient group in P-K, three groups having a K-Ca deficiency at different intensities from weak to strong, and one group having a strong P-K-Ca deficiency. These foliar nutrient status were strongly related to some soil properties. The P-K deficient groups had a 30% lower K saturation in the H-Ah horizon than the average level of the other groups, but a higher proportion of exchangeable Ca in the H-Ah and B horizon. For the four groups that were K-Ca deficient, increased nutrient stress was associated with reductions in soil Ca saturation and pH, and, particularly, increases in soil Mg saturation. Also, the Ca/(H+Al) ratio of exchangeable cations in the B horizon was ≤ 0.6 for these groups. High soil Mg saturation, potential soil Al toxicity related to low Ca saturation, and unfavorable soil humus properties were associated with the severity of nutrient stress. To obtain a balanced nutrition for sugar maple in this region, the forest humus should have less than 10% of Mg on exchange sites, a Ca/Mg ratio of exchangeable cations > 6, and a K/Mg ratio > 0.5. The values in the mineral B horizon should be < 10% for Mg/CEC, > 4 for the Ca/Mg ratio, > 1 for the K/Mg ratio, and > 1 for the Ca/(H+Al) ratio. Key words:Acer saccharum, cation saturation, Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System, forest decline, nutrient status, soil properties

A comparison of soil fertility and leaf nutrient status of sugar maples (Acer saccharum) in relation to microrelief in two maple forests in Québec

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Roy ◽  
A. Sauvesty ◽  
F. Pagé ◽  
R. van Hulst ◽  
C. Ansseau
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Foliar Nutrient

This study was conducted to provide a better understanding of the relationship between foliar nutrient status, maple dieback and soil quality. Fieldwork was conducted in four maple stands, two of which were located in the Appalachians at Tingwick and two in the Laurentians at Duchesnay. All stands were characterised by a mound and depression microrelief. In one of the Tingwick maple stands (T1) the predominant soil type was found on mounds, and was well to moderately well-drained (Leeds and Woodbridge series). At the other site (T2), the predominant soil type was in depressions, and imperfectly to poorly drained (Sainte-Marie and Brompton series). At the first Duchesnay site (D1) the predominant soil type was found on mounds and was well to rapidly drained (Ste Agathe series). At the second Duchesnay site (D2), the predominant soil type was also found on mounds, but was well to moderately well-drained (Sergent series). On all sites, the soils were acidic and nutrient poor. The lowest pH values and nutrient concentrations (in the H-Ah horizons) were found in maple stands with well-drained soils (T1 and D1) (P < 0.05). On these sites, maple dieback was less than 10%. It was on the poorly to imperfectly drained soils at Tingwick (T2), as well as on the moderately drained soils at Duchesnay (D2), that we observed the lowest biological activity. Although these soils were the most nutrient rich, we observed foliar nutrient deficiencies, and maple dieback in excess of 25%. Our results suggest that maple dieback is the result of a poor physiological adaptation of sugar maple to poor drainage conditions in the areas studied. Key Words: Dieback, Acer saccharum, forest soils, biological activity index

Endomycorrhizal status of sugar maple in relation to tree decline and foliar, fine-roots, and soil chemistry in the Beauce region, Quebec

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1168-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Camiré ◽  
Valentin Furlan
Keyword(s):  
Soil Chemistry ◽  
Fine Roots ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Root Colonization ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Tree Decline

The Beauce region of Quebec has been relentlessly affected by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) tree decline since the late 1970s. Nutrient disturbances are generally associated with maple decline, but the severity of decline symptoms can vary quite dramatically between individuals within a stand. Possible causes of this variability were investigated, including soil chemistry and endomycorrhization. Within 18 mature sugar maple stands, a comparative study of fine root colonization rate by endomycorrhizal fungi, and foliar, fine-roots, and soil-nutrient status between healthy and declining sugar maple trees was carried out. Three individuals showing a very low degree of decline symptoms (healthy) and three individuals in the vicinity exhibiting severe decline symptoms (declining) were selected in each stand. Although trees of both health classes were K and Ca deficient, the diagnosis revealed that those in the declining group were experiencing a more severe nutrient stress and lower stem radial growth than those in the healthy group. The percent colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi in fine roots of sugar maple varied from 8 to 40% among stands, with an average of 23%. However, the endomycorrhization rate was not related to tree health status. The frequency of endomycorrhization was positively correlated to soil pH and soil exchangeable Mg saturation, but negatively to the proportion of H + Al held on the soil exchange complex. Also, the rate of endomycorrhization was correlated positively to foliar and root Ca content, but negatively to foliar and root N content. Foliar N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Mn contents were positively correlated to corresponding nutrient content in fine roots. Fine-root chemistry was only partly related to soil chemistry. Declining trees had a lower foliar K content and a lower P and Ca content in fine roots than healthy ones. The results do not support the hypothesis that sugar maple decline and its disturbed nutrient status is associated with lower colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi in fine roots. They suggest, however, that soil chemical properties, particularly the soil composition in cations, regulates fine-root colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi and sugar maple nutrition and health. These results can neither confirm nor invalidate the hypothesis according to which a deleterious microbial population may have colonized the soil under declining trees. Key words: Acer saccharum, soil cation saturation, forest decline, nutrient status, fine root, endomycorrhizae.

scholarly journals Effect of soil base saturation and endomycorrhization on growth and nutrient status of sugar maple seedlings

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Camiré ◽  
Valentin Furlan
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Shoot Elongation ◽  
Base Saturation ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Soil Base ◽  
Experimental Conditions

Nutrient imbalances of declining sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stands in southeastern Quebec have been associated partly with high soil exchangeable acidity and low base saturation on. A greenhouse experiment was set up to determine how growth and nutrient status of sugar maple seedlings can be influenced by soil acidification and the presence of an endomycorrhizal fungus. The experiment consisted of five levels of soil base saturation (from 12 to 50%) and two levels of soil inoculation by an endomycorrhizal fungus (inoculated and control) in a complete factorial arrangement Sugar maple seedlings were grown for 3 mo in the treated soil substrates. Seedling shoot elongation rate, growth [dry matter (TDM) mass, stem diameter, and total leaf area], and K, Ca and Mg concentrations in foliage and roots decreased with soil acidification with base saturation used as an indicator of the soil-acidification status. Foliar K and Ca level reached values below critical thresholds when soil base saturation was reduced to 12%. Under the experimental conditions, seedling growth was not significantly affected by endomycorrhization, except for root DM mass, which was reduced by 24% compared with the control treatment. For mycorrhizal seedlings, foliar Al concentration increased linearly from 113 mg kg−1 to 210 mg kg−1 with the reduction of soil base saturation from 50% to 12%, while, for non-mycorrhizal seedlings, foliar Al concentration remained at a high level (195 mg kg−1) independently of the soil acidification level. Sugar maple seedling growth was not related to accumulation of Al in foliage. The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that a causal relationship exists between the level of soil base saturation and the growth decrease and associated nutrient disorders observed in declining sugar maple stands in Quebec. Key words:Acer saccharum, nutrient status, seedling growth, soil base saturation, endomycorrhizae

Short- and long-term nutritional effects and retention of potassium derived from fertilizer in a sugar maple stand in southern Quebec

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-495
Author(s):  
Chloé McMillan ◽  
Benoît Côté ◽  
William H. Hendershot
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Base Cation ◽  
Maple Leaves ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Understory Plant ◽  
K Concentration ◽  
K Fertilization

The short-term (1–3 years) and long-term (23 years) effects of liming combined with potassium (K) fertilization on forest nutrition and K cycling were examined in a sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stand in southern Quebec. Sugar maple leaves were sampled annually from 1988 (prefertilization year) to 1991 and in 2011–2012. Ten understory plant species, sugar maple sapwood, and soils were also sampled in 2012 and analyzed for K, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and rubidium (Rb). The recovery of fertilizer K was determined using the Rb/K reverse tracer method. Fertilization neither increased growth nor maintained higher sugar maple leaf K levels over the long term; however, leaf K to Ca and K to Mg ratios were still higher in fertilized plots than in control plots in 2012. The percentage of leaf K derived from fertilizer peaked 3 years after fertilization (36% ± 5%) and was down to 1989 levels by 2012 (15% ± 6%). Understory vegetation generally showed no differences in leaf K concentration between treatments, but percent K from fertilizers was greater than 25% in several species. There was no significant effect of fertilization on soil K, Ca, and Mg availability by 2012. Our results suggest that significant amounts of fertilizer K are still present on the site after 23 years but that base cation levels in leaves and upper soil horizons have returned to near prefertilization levels except for a slight enrichment in K. Although small, the effects of fertilization with liming on soil fertility and plant nutrient status in a maple stand can be long lasting.

scholarly journals Root exudation of low-molecular-mass-organic acids by six tree species alters the dynamics of calcium and magnesium in soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamihisa Ohta ◽  
Tsutom Hiura
Keyword(s):  
Organic Acids ◽  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Root Exudation ◽  
Oyster Shell ◽  
Exchangeable Cations ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Ca Deficiency ◽  
Exchangeable Ca ◽  
Exudation Rate

Soils in plantations of Cryptomeria japonica in Japan have ∼threefold more exchangeable Ca compared with soils in other types of forest vegetation even in a Ca-poor environment. To explain mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, we determined the effect of root exudation rate of low-molecular-mass organic acids (LMMOAs) on exchangeable cations in soil. We conducted a pot experiment using C. japonica and five dominant tree species in Japan, and measured the root exudation rates of LMMOAs and exchangeable nutrient concentrations in the soils. To estimate whether the root exudation rate of LMMOAs is elevated in response to Ca deficiency, we created variation in Ca availability by adding different amounts of crushed oyster shells. The root exudation rates of LMMOAs were two to five times higher for C. japonica than for other tree species, but did not differ significantly among the different quantities of oyster shell. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were significantly higher in the soils with C. japonica and significantly correlated with the root exudation rate of LMMOAs (R2 > 0.24) at high and moderate quantities of oyster shell. Therefore, variation among species, in terms of root exudation of organic acids, might be one important factor affecting the cation dynamics in soil.

Growth and foliar nutrient status of sugar maple: incidence of forest decline and reaction to fertilization

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 699-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ouimet ◽  
J.-M. Fortin
Keyword(s):  
Radial Growth ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Forest Decline ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Foliar Nutrition ◽  
Poor Growth ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
K Concentration ◽  
The Impact

Typical decline symptoms have become common observations in the deciduous forest of southern Quebec. In 1988, sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) trees exhibiting various degrees of foliage loss were studied in 21 mature stands scattered throughout the province of Quebec in order to determine the impact of forest decline on the stands' growth and nutritional status. Results showed the following: (i) large variations in foliar concentrations existed between sites and sampling year, (ii) damaged trees were K deficient, (iii) stem radial growth over 5 years (1983–1988) and the 1987–1988 foliar K concentration decreased in a linear fashion as visual estimation of crown foliage loss increased, (iv) radial growth reduction averaged 27 and 54% for trees having a percentage of foliage loss of 6–25 and 25–50%, respectively. We tested the following hypothesis: improvement of foliar status by diagnostic fertilization in declining trees that have a deficiency in K leads to enhanced tree vigor that can be measured as increased stem growth. Beneficial fertilization effects occurred very rapidly, beginning in the year of treatment. Fertilization caused a 50% increase in stem radial growth compared with unfertilized trees in the 2 years following treatment application. This response was accompanied by increased foliar N, K, and Ca levels, and decreased P concentration, compared with control trees. The results suggest that poor growth and vigor of sugar maple on these sites are related to impaired foliar nutrition in K, and that a rapid revival of declining sugar maple characterized by a K deficiency can be produced in the short term by proper fertilization.

Foliar nutrient status in relation to sugar maple dieback and decline in the Quebec Appalachians

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 754-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Bernier ◽  
M. Brazeau
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
K Deficiency ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Foliage Density ◽  
Geological Formations

Forty-five mature sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) stands growing on soils associated with a wide range of geological formations in the Quebec Appalachians were sampled in both early to mid-July and mid- to late August 1985. The average level of forest decline, as indicated by foliage density, was 15%, ranging from 1 to 69%. The foliar concentrations of N, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Zn, and B in July were generally adequate while K concentrations were <0.55% in nine sites (20% of the sites). Mean K concentrations in July and August were 0.68% and 0.62%, respectively, with only one value in excess of 0.90% in July, which is below most K concentrations reported in the literature for sugar maple. Results are presented for two distinct regions within the study area. Most stands with foliar K levels less than 0.55% in July exhibited high levels of decline (15–69%) while the majority of stands with K in excess of this concentration showed low levels of decline. These data suggest that K deficiency (sometimes accompanied by an acute P deficiency) influences the integrity of forest ecosystems and may play a significant role in the decline of the deciduous forest in the Quebec Appalachians.

Ten-year effect of dolomitic lime on the nutrition, crown vigor, and growth of sugar maple

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1834-1841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Moore ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stem Growth ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Year Effect ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Calcium And Magnesium ◽  
Crown Dieback

In a base-poor northern hardwood stand in Quebec, subjected to high acid deposition, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) nutrition, growth, and crown vigor were evaluated 10 years after application of 0–50 t·ha–1 of CaMg(CO3)2 in 1994. One decade after treatment, foliar calcium and magnesium concentrations of sugar maple were still higher for treated than for control trees. The analysis of foliar nutrient indices showed that liming improved the nutrition of nitrogen and calcium, but caused imbalance of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. In 2004, crown dieback was much lower for limed trees (0.5%–4.5%) as compared to unlimed trees (23.7%). When compared with crown dieback before treatment, dieback of limed trees generally had decreased by 2004, while dieback of untreated maple trees increased over the 1994–2004 period. In 2004, basal area increment for limed trees was nearly double that of unlimed trees. However, no difference was detectable among trees limed at different rates. Midterm efficacy of liming in this study was demonstrated by the improvement of sugar maple calcium nutrition, crown vigor, and stem growth 10 years following treatment. This confirms the potential of liming to limit damage caused by acid deposition in base-poor and declining northern hardwood stands.

Effects of two Ca fertilizer types on sugar maple vitality

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (10) ◽  
pp. 1985-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-David Moore ◽  
Rock Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Foliar Nutrient ◽  
Foliar Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Lime Application ◽  
Crown Dieback ◽  
Mg Content ◽  
Nutrient Antagonism

Over the last decades, continuous signs of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh.) dieback in stands of northeastern North America have promoted the experimentation of corrective measures to restore sugar maple vitality. To verify the hypothesis that K–Mg antagonism may have limited the full response of sugar maple to dolomitic lime application in a previous experiment (CaMg(CO3)2, 12% Mg), two Ca fertilizers (CaCO3 and CaSO4·2H2O), having negligible Mg content, were applied at rates of 1, 2, and 4 t Ca·ha–1 on sugar maple trees adjacent to the limed area. After 3 years, most of the foliar nutrient concentrations of treated trees were improved, particularly Ca, for both Ca fertilizers, in line with published ranges for healthy sugar maple trees, except for Mg. Moreover, no persistent nutrient antagonism was observed. The crown dieback rate of treated sugar maple was ≤5.8% after 3 years, while it reached 12% for the controls. Also, relative basal area growth showed that both Ca sources can improve growth rate. Growth response following Ca treatments was, however, lower than for the former lime experiment after the same period of time. In this context, our results suggest that Mg nutrition could be more important for sugar maple in this ecosystem than initially thought.

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