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DIVISION S-7 - FOREST & RANGE SOILS

Nutrient Retranslocation Response of Picea mariana Seedlings to Nitrogen Supply

Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3, Canada

Corresponding author (vic.timmer{at}utoronto.ca)

The hypotheses that retranslocation is controlled by soil nutrient availability or plant nutrient reserves were tested under field conditions for one growing season using nutrient-loaded and non-loaded (conventional) black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP] seedlings planted on a poor, medium, and rich fertility soil created by equivalent applications of 0, 200, and 400 kg N ha^-1, respectively. Growth and nutrient uptake increased with N supply, and was consistently higher in loaded than conventional seedlings, demonstrating the advantage of nutrient loading practices to accelerate seedling growth across the range of soil N tested. Compared to the poor soil, new shoot biomass of loaded seedlings increased by 34 and 134% on the medium and rich soils, suggesting loaded seedlings may be more efficiently transplanted on more fertile sites. Net retranslocation of N, P, and K increased by 569, 185, and 102% by nutrient loading in the nursery, supporting the hypothesis of translocation driven by the magnitude of plant nutrient reserves. However, net N retranslocation diminished with time due to root system expansion that promoted uptake and reduced the need for N redistribution. Net retranslocation of N (the most limiting nutrient) declined with soil N supply, but that of P and K were relatively independent of soil fertility. Increased N availability in the soil enhanced N accumulation in the plants but lowered N retranslocation. We conclude that higher net retranslocation of N on poor soils is a phenotypic adjustment by P. mariana seedlings to maximize N use at low availability.

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