Abstract
The aim of poplar plantations is to achieve high biomass production over a short rotation period. This requires low mortality and fast development of the transplants. The experiment described in this paper examines methods aimed at enhancing survival and development of Populus trichocarpa plants by application of fertilizers, a hydrogel or a combination of both to dormant cuttings just before planting. The experiment was carried out at two agricultural sites with different soil characteristics, a loamy sand and a silty loam. It was demonstrated that none of the treatments influenced survival or early growth at the silty loam soil site, and plant development was delayed by the solid fertilizer. At the site with loamy sand, the solid fertilizer negatively affected both survival and early growth. Hydrogel and the combination of hydrogel and the solid fertilizer also hampered early growth. Overall, treatments of poplar cuttings with hydrogel or fertilizers alone, or in combination, may not be a method to reduce poplar cutting mortality or to enhance early plant development on agricultural land. However, our results demonstrate that establishing poplar with cuttings as transplants can be used on both loamy sand and silty loam soils.
Highlights
There is an increasing demand for forest biomass as a replacement for oil and coal products.Plantations of fast growing broadleaved species, such as poplars have an important role in this transition
At the loamy sand site, cuttings treated with solid fertilizer (SF) displayed a lower survival rate compared to the control cuttings (C), starch gel with and without liquid fertilizer (SG and Starch gel containing liquid fertilizer (SGLF)) and Perlite with and without liquid fertilizer (P and Perlite containing liquid fertilizer (PLF)) (p = 0.046) (Figure 1b)
At the loamy sand site, the analyses showed lower survival for cuttings treated with substrates containing solid fertilizer (SF and Hydrogel containing solid fertilizer (HGSF)) compared to cuttings treated with substrates containing liquid fertilizer (SGLF, PLF, Perlite containing fertilizer diluted with fertilizer-free Perlite (PLFP) and Perlite containing fertilizer and Hydrogel (PLFHG))
Summary
There is an increasing demand for forest biomass as a replacement for oil and coal products.Plantations of fast growing broadleaved species, such as poplars have an important role in this transition. The Swedish MINT investigation showed that there are about 400,000 ha of agricultural land available for planting without interfering with agricultural production [2]. These sites possess properties, such as high fertility and good water availability. Another investigation revealed that there is a large potential for planting poplars on forestland, with about 2,500,000 ha being suitable for fast growing broadleaf species [3]. A rapid initial growth will minimize the time the plants are vulnerable to top browsing, a problem that might cause considerable damage to young stands [8]
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