Abstract
Nursery practices are considered major factors influencing seedling quality, which are likely to be maintained in the early establishment phase in the field. Here, we investigated the effects of container depth and substrate heterogeneity on the growth of Populus sibirica nodal seedlings to suggest an effective nursery practice for producing quality seedlings appropriate for forest establishment in a dry environment. We used two substrate heterogeneities (homogeneous and heterogeneous) and two container depth treatments (30 and 60 cm). Variations in root collar diameter (RCD) growth, height growth, stem and root biomass, root to stem ratio, and root mass in the first 15 cm depth from the soil surface across the treatments were computed. Results revealed that both substrate heterogeneity and container depth had no significant effects on the RCD and height growth of P. sibirica seedlings but significantly improved their root and stem biomass. Seedlings in the 60 cm containers generally accumulated higher root biomass than those in the 30 cm containers. There was an interaction effect of container depth and substrate heterogeneity treatments on root and total dry mass, such that seedlings grown in the 60 cm container using heterogeneous substrate resulted in the highest root and total biomass. Analyses of proportional root growth in the upper 15 cm of the containers compared to the total indicated that both the main effects of deeper containers (60 cm) and heterogeneous substrate have fewer roots at this depth, indicating a greater root density in the bottom of the deeper containers. Therefore, deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate may be used as an effective nursery practice to produce seedlings with root traits potentially suitable for harsh conditions, such as arid and semi-arid environments. However, further studies using other seedling morphological traits in conjunction with field-trial tests are needed for a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of deeper containers and heterogeneous substrate in producing good quality seedlings potentially suitable in a dry environment.
Highlights
In forest-poor arid and semi-arid zones, forests play a crucial role in combating desertification [1]
There was no significant difference in height and root collar diameter (RCD) growth between homogeneous and heterogeneous substrates (Figure 2, Table 2)
Results showed that the seedlings placed in the 60 cm container treatment generally accumulated higher root biomass than those placed in the 30 cm containers, suggesting that a larger container can promote root growth of P. sibirica
Summary
In forest-poor arid and semi-arid zones, forests play a crucial role in combating desertification [1]. Tree cultivation on barren landscapes and restoration of degraded forests are much more difficult in arid zones, characterized by slow growth and a high mortality rate of newly planted seedlings [2,3,4]. The success of a forest establishment effort depends on the quality or traits of the seedlings used and the ability to survive under an anticipated range of environmental conditions, upon outplanting [7]. An increased understanding of seedling quality during the nursery phase is deemed necessary to ensure that the newly planted seedlings will exhibit the desired level of growth and survival under harsh conditions in arid and semi-arid environments
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