Container Seedling Research Articles

Life cycle inventory of forest seedling production — from seed to regeneration site

The objectives of this study were to produce detailed life cycle inventory (LCI) data for forest seedling production and to analyse differences between production units. The study was part of a larger project designed to obtain LCI-data for wood production in Sweden, from seed to delivery of logs at industrial sites. Data were collected regarding the amount of energy and commodities used, and the emissions released to the atmosphere as a consequence of the seedling production were calculated. Four modern, medium-sized nurseries, typifying container seedling facilities in Sweden, were evaluated in the study. Site-specific data regarding energy and commodities were used in the calculations, together with figures collated in relevant databases and literature. The results showed that the use of energy, and the emissions generated, were larger per seedling in southern Sweden than in the north of the country, since the seedlings were larger in southern Sweden. The fossil fuels used for heating the greenhouses and for seedling transportation were the major sources of emissions.

Fertilization practice in Finnish forest nurseries from the standpoint of environmental impact

In 1996 a questionnaire concerning actualsystems and practices used in production ofseedlings was sent to 33 Finnish forestnurseries. A total of 28 nurseries answered thequestionnaire. These replies represented about80% of the total production of forestseedlings in Finland. The nurseries used about200 metric tons of fertilizers in 1996, whichwas about 25% of the fertilizer use in 1976.Explanations for the decrease in fertilizationare the shift from bareroot production tocontainer production and the decrease in totalproduction from 190 to 150 million seedlings.Finnish nurseries applied about 100 mg N and50 mg P per container seedling shipped, and820 mg N and 240 mg P per bareroot seedling.The mean annual applications of N and P in 1996were about 180 kg/ha and 90 kg/ha for containerstock and 130 kg N/ha and 40 kg P/ha forbareroot stock. However, the variation betweennurseries was large.

Ectomycorrhizal development on pine by Pisolithus tinctorius in bare-root and container seedling nurseries

Vegetative inoculum of Pisolithus tinctorius (Pt) produced by Sylvan Spawn Laboratories (C:N 50) and by research methods (IMRD), spore-encapsulated seeds, spore pellets, and sprayed spores were compared for efficacy in forming Pt ectomycorrhizae on pines in operational bare-root nurseries in South Carolina, Florida, and Indiana and in microplots and containers in Georgia. Two rates of application (0.33 and 0.16 liter/m2 of soil) of both sources of vegetative inoculum were similar in effect and formed abundant Pt ectomycorrhizae (Pt index > 50) and fruit bodies in all studies. Spore treatments formed consistently fewer Pt ectomycorrhizae than vegetative inoculum. The most effective spore treatment was spore encapsulated seeds. These results indicate that at a bed density of 270 seedlings/m2, 0.6 to 0.7 liter of vegetative inoculum is needed to obtain Pt indices > 50 on 1,000 pine seedlings.

Ectomycorrhizal development on pine by Pisolithus tinctorius in bare-root and container seedling nurseries

Ectomycorrhizal development on pine by Pisolithus tinctorius in bare-root and container seedling nurseries