Unusual Ice Damage Suggests Extra Care Needed in Overwinter Cold Storage
In the course of research into overwinter cold storage of conifer nursery stock at sub-freezing temperatures, we discovered a most unusual type of ice damage affecting some of the stored white spruce, Norway spruce, and balsam fir. The damage (figs. 1-4) involves a splitting of the leader or side branch tip due to the buildup of ice within the plant tissues. In the most extreme form, the ice splits the branch tip in half (figs. 1 and 2). In a milder form, the ice swells the stem, distorting it (fig. 3).
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Author(s): Ralph D. Nyland, H. Jack Irish
Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 23, Number 3 (1972)
Volume: 23
Number: 3