Seedling Quality of Southern Pines: Influence of Plant Attributes
Good seedling quality is a part of successful reforestation programs. Nursery managers use various cultural practices (e.g. seedbed density and root pruning for bareroot seedlings; cell density and volume for container seedlings; fertilization, irrigation, and top-pruning for all stock types) to produce southern pine seedlings with desired morphological and physiological attributes. Opinions vary on which of these attributes should be assessed in a seedling quality program. Growers generally agree that seedling height, root-collar diameter, root mass, nutrient status, and shoot/root balance are important, measurable plant attributes. Root growth, drought resistance, and freezing tolerance are also suggested as desirable plant attributes. Appropriate ranges of these attributes increase the probability for successful establishment of southern pine seedlings.
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Author(s): Steven C. Grossnickle, David B. South
Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 60, Number 2 (2017)
Volume: 60
Number: 2