Abstract

NAVARRO-SANDOVAL, José L. et al. Morphology, biomass and nutrient content in Abies religiosa with different fertilization regimes in the nursery. Agrociencia [online]. 2013, vol.47, n.7, pp.707-721. ISSN 2521-9766.

Nursery fertilization is a cultural practice used to modify the morphological characteristics affecting plant quality indices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nursery fertilization in growth, morphology, biomass allocation and nutrient status in Abies religiosa plants. There were four levels of fertilization (T_-50, T_Base, T₊₅₀ y T₊₁₀₀) starting from the dose used in nursery (T_Base), with a completely randomized design with four experimental units, each with 900 plants. The unexpected presence of frost damage in the terminal bud of some plants allowed comparing the response to fertilization of plants with and without damage. For seven months after fertilization height and basal diameter was measured in a random sample of five seedlings with and without damage per experimental unit. At the end of the production cycle biomass and nutrient content of aerial and underground of the plant components were quantified. Fertilization and condition of the bud had a significant effect (p≤0.05) on the size, relative growth rate, biomass allocation and nutrient concentration, but without significant interaction between them. Plants with T_-50 had 15 % lower height but allocated 36.2 % more biomass to root than with T_Base. The root nutrient concentrations (N, P, and K), stem (P) and leaves (N) was 5.5 to 41.3 % higher with T₊₅₀, and T₊₁₀₀, than with T_{_ 50}. The bud damage caused plants with lower height (5 %), larger diameter (13 %) and higher nutrient concentration (5.5 % K in root and 28.9 % N in stem) as opposed to undamaged plants in all fertilization treatments. The decrease of 50 % in the current dose of fertilization of A. religiosa in nursery favors morphological characteristics related to plant quality indices.

Keywords : quality of plant; biomass allocation; forest nutrition; plant production.

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