© 1995 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Growth and nutrient use efficiency of water tupelo seedlings in flooded and well-drained soil
Martha R. McKevlin (1), Donal D. Hook (2) and William H. McKee, Jr. (1)
1. Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, 2730 Savannah Hwy., Charleston, SC 29414, USA / 2. Department of Forestry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA / Received April 11, 1994
Summary
Growth characteristics and nutrient utilization rate of Nyssa aquatica L. seedlings grown in pots containing flooded or well-drained soil were compared in a greenhouse study. For most of the growing
season, relative height and diameter growth rates, and biomass accumulation rates were greater for seedlings in flooded soil
than for seedlings in well-drained soil. The concentration of Fe in the roots of seedlings in flooded soil was almost tenfold
greater than that of seedlings in well-drained soil. However, flooding had no effect on foliar Fe concentrations. The flooding
treatment resulted in decreased concentrations of N in all component parts and increased concentrations of P in the roots
and stem, but it had no effect on foliar P concentrations. In response to flooding, foliar K concentrations decreased, whereas
the concentration of K in the roots increased. Flooding had no effect on the K concentration of the stem. Seedlings in flooded
soil produced more total biomass per milligram of nutrient absorbed than seedlings in well-drained soil, suggesting that N. aquatica seedlings are more efficient at producing biomass and height growth under hydric conditions than under mesic conditions.
Keywords:
hydric, mesic, nutrient uptake, Nyssa aquatica, rhizosphere oxidation, stem hypertrophy.
