Abstract
Nitrogen and phosphorous are critical determinants of plant growth and productivity, and both plant growth and root morphology are important parameters for evaluating the effects of supplied nutrients. Previous work has shown that the growth of Acer mono seedlings is retarded under nursery conditions; we applied different levels of N (0, 5, 10, and 15 g plant-1) and P (0, 4, 6 and 8 g plant-1) fertilizer to investigate the effects of fertilization on the growth and root morphology of four-year-old seedlings in the field. Our results indicated that both N and P application significantly affected plant height, root collar diameter, chlorophyll content, and root morphology. Among the nutrient levels, 10 g N and 8 g P were found to yield maximum growth, and the maximum values of plant height, root collar diameter, chlorophyll content, and root morphology were obtained when 10 g N and 8 g P were used together. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that optimum levels of N and P can be used to improve seedling health and growth during the nursery period.
Highlights
The aesthetic and economic values of Acer mono Maxim L. (Aceraceae) make it an important species for afforestation, gardening, and road plantings
Seedlings treated with P fertilizer exhibited significantly greater plant height and root collar diameter than untreated (i.e., 0 g P) controls, and values for both parameters were highest in seedlings treated with 8 g P, followed by those treated with 6 and 4 g, respectively
The first, second, and third root orders of seedlings treated with N fertilizer exhibited significantly greater total root length (TRL), average root diameter (ARD), and specific root length (SRL) values than those of untreated (i.e., 0 g N) seedlings (P
Summary
The aesthetic and economic values of Acer mono Maxim L. (Aceraceae) make it an important species for afforestation, gardening, and road plantings. The species is widely distributed in the Yangtze River basin of north and northeast China [1]. Nursery practices, such as sowing, seedbed density, pruning, and fertilization, are usually standardized for individual plant species, in order to produce high-quality seedlings [2]. Fertilizer application is widely used in nurseries to improve plant vigor and productivity [3]; fertilization can improve plant growth by either increasing soil resources or by enhancing the ability of seedlings to garner resources [4] by modifying soil pH [5]. The production of deciduous and pine seedlings have different nutrition and management requirements [8]
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