Nutrient Retranslocation Response of Picea mariana Seedlings to Nitrogen Supply

Abstract

The hypotheses that retranslocation is controlled by soil nutrient availability or plant nutrient reserves were tested under field conditions for one growing season using nutrient‐loaded and non‐loaded (conventional) black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP] seedlings planted on a poor, medium, and rich fertility soil created by equivalent applications of 0, 200, and 400 kg N ha−1, respectively. Growth and nutrient uptake increased with N supply, and was consistently higher in loaded than conventional seedlings, demonstrating the advantage of nutrient loading practices to accelerate seedling growth across the range of soil N tested. Compared to the poor soil, new shoot biomass of loaded seedlings increased by 34 and 134% on the medium and rich soils, suggesting loaded seedlings may be more efficiently transplanted on more fertile sites. Net retranslocation of N, P, and K increased by 569, 185, and 102% by nutrient loading in the nursery, supporting the hypothesis of translocation driven by the magnitude of plant nutrient reserves. However, net N retranslocation diminished with time due to root system expansion that promoted uptake and reduced the need for N redistribution. Net retranslocation of N (the most limiting nutrient) declined with soil N supply, but that of P and K were relatively independent of soil fertility. Increased N availability in the soil enhanced N accumulation in the plants but lowered N retranslocation. We conclude that higher net retranslocation of N on poor soils is a phenotypic adjustment by P. mariana seedlings to maximize N use at low availability.