Abstract
Understanding how soil nutrients affect sap sweetness of sugar maples (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is important for producing maple syrup, an economically important non-timber forest product in the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada. Sugar maples were sampled for sap sweetness in 21 plots distributed across five stands in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Sugar concentrations in maple sap were higher in plots with greater native soil nitrogen availability, indicated by N mineralization in laboratory incubations (p=0.01). To test whether nutrient additions can improve sap sweetness, treatment plots were fertilized with N, P, N and P, or Ca. Addition of 30kgNha−1yr−1 increased sap sweetness two years after initial treatment. Foliar P had a negative correlation with sap sweetness (p=0.02) while trees with higher foliar N:P had sweeter sap (p<0.001). By selecting sites with higher soil nitrogen or fertilizing N-limited sites with N, maple sugar producers may be able to collect sweeter maple sap.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
