Abstract
Regrowth of an injured plant may exceed the growth of a noninjured plant (i.e., overcompensation) when (i) dormant meristems are available to replace injured meristems, (ii) the injury level is sufficient to release dormant meristems from apical dominance, and (iii) the supply of mineral nutrient and light is sufficient to support the outgrowth of previously dormant meristems. A field experiment was conducted with 5-year-old black spruce trees to determine whether these three conditions were met when 25%, 50%, or 75% of a tree's uppermost buds were removed. Subsequent shoot growth on treated and nontreated trees (0% meristem removal) was compared for each of two levels of resource supply (natural and enhanced). Enhanced levels of light and mineral nutrients were created by removing neighbouring plants within a 2-m radius of a target tree and adding 10 grams of NPK fertilizer per tree. After 5 and 17 months, shoot growth did not differ significantly among trees in the four meristem removal treatments (condition ii above), regardless of resource supply (condition iii above). The absence of overcompensation most likely reflects the relatively small supply of dormant meristems on treated trees (condition i above).Key words: apical meristem, black spruce, compensatory growth, injury.
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