JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2024, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5): 113-122.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202302008

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The growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Acer truncatum seedlings in response to soil water and fertilizer coupling

LI Panting(), DU Manyi, WANG Yue, PEI Shunxiang, XIN Xuebing*()   

  1. Experimental Centre of Forestry in North China,Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 102300,China
  • Received:2023-02-07 Revised:2023-04-06 Online:2024-09-30 Published:2024-10-03
  • Contact: XIN Xuebing E-mail:pantin09@163.com;xinxb01@163.com

Abstract:

【Objective】 This research aims to investigate the growth and photosynthetic physiological characteristics of Acer truncatum seedlings in response to water-fertilizer coupling, and to analyze the optimal water-fertilizer combination for the growth of A. truncatum seedlings. 【Method】 One-year-old A. truncatum seedlings were subjected to varying water and fertilizer couplings in an orthogonal test design involving four factors and four levels of soil water content, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, resulting in 16 treatments. Growth indexes, relative chlorophyll content of the leaves SPAD values, photosynthetic characteristics, and light response curves were measured after the treatments. 【Result】 The growth indices generally increased firstly and then decreased with increasing fertilization amount. At a soil water content of 75%,1.2, 1.8 and 0 g/plant of N, P, K, respectively, the diameter and total biomass of the plant were significantly higher than those of other treatments. Suitable soil water and fertilizer coupling could significantly improve the height, ground diameter, and total biomass of A. truncatum seedlings. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the utilization ability of low light among different soil water and fertilizer coupling treatments, and nitrogen fertilizer had significant effects on the maximum net photosynthetic rate and light saturation point of A. truncatum seedlings. In addition, there was no significant difference in water use efficiency (WUE) between the different treatments for A. truncatum seedlings. The seedlings grew normally even under lower water conditions, such as 45% soil water content, and exhibited strong drought resistance. The effects of soil water and fertilizer on the growth of A. truncatum seedlings were ranked from high to low as nitrogen fertilizer > soil water content > potash fertilizer > phosphate fertilizer, based on a comprehensive scoring method. The optimal combination of water and fertilizer was 75% soil water content, with fertilizer comprising 1.2 g of nitrogen, 1.8 g of phosphorous, and 0 g of potassium per plant. 【Conclusion】 Water-fertilizer coupling had a significant effect on ground diameter and biomass of A. truncatum seedlings, but an insignificant effect on seedling height, while soil water content and nitrogen fertilizer also had a significant effect on the growth indexes of the seedlings. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the appropriate use of soil water and fertilizer in A. truncatum.

Key words: Acer truncatum, water and fertilizer coupling, photosynthetic characteristics, growth index

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