Undercutting conifer seedlings: effect on morphology and field performance on droughty sites

Abstract

Bareroot 2-0 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) seedlings were subjected to five undercutting treatments, which varied by number and depth of undercut and seedling phenology at time of treatment, so that morphological characteristics at lifting and field performance 4 years after planting on droughty south slopes in southwest Oregon could be evaluated. All undercutting treatments significantly reduced seedling top growth, but changes in root system morphology depended upon treatment severity and species. Treatment effects were generally more pronounced in ponderosa pine than Douglas-fir. Multivariate analysis of variance showed significant treatment effects for both species based on seedling morphology at lifting, but discriminant analyses revealed that these differences existed primarily between undercut seedlings, regardless of undercutting treatment, and controls. In Douglas-fir this separation was largely due to differences in seedling height and in ponderosa pine it was due to differences in tap root biomass. However, no treatment effects were detectable 4 years after outplanting for either species despite record high air temperatures during the first growing season, suggesting that morphological differences at lifting were probably not of sufficient magnitude to affect field performance.