JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2025, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (1): 103-111.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202302036

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Response of the growth and root development of Cyclobalanopsis gilva container seedlings to the slow-release fertilizer addition

YANG Mengqing1,2(), HUANG Shengyi2, WANG Bin2,*(), ZHOU Zhichun2, XU Xiaoniu1, XU Weike3, WU Renchao3   

  1. 1. School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
    2. Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Breeding, Hangzhou 311400, China
    3. Qingyuan County Experimental Forest Farm of Zhejiang Province, Qingyuan 323800, China
  • Received:2023-02-28 Revised:2023-09-19 Online:2025-01-30 Published:2025-01-21
  • Contact: WANG Bin E-mail:3022304127@qq.com;ylwangbin@sina.com

Abstract:

【Objective】This study investigated the dynamic changes in the growth and root development of one-year-old container seedlings under different fertilization levels to overcome the late emergence and slow seedling growth in the cultivation of container seedlings of Cyclobalanopsis gilva. Moreover, the adaptation strategies of root morphology to different fertilization levels were explored to improve the cultivation level of container seedlings and to promote the early emergence of seedlings by enhancing their growth and root development.【Method】Slow-release fertilizer addition tests were conducted on container seedlings at five levels (1.50, 2.25, 3.00, 3.75 and 4.50 kg/m3). Seedling growth indicators such as the seedling height, ground diameter, and dry mass of roots, stems, and leaves of seedlings (ages from 9 to 11 months) were continuously monitored during the rapid growth period. Root development indexes of different diameter grades including root length and root surface area were analyzed using a plant root scanner (EPSON Perfection V700/V750 3.83) and root analysis system software (WinRHIZO). SPSS 20.0 was employed to conduct one-way ANOVA to determine the variation of different slow-release fertilizer supplemental levels in promoting seedling growth and root development, as well as the adaptation strategies of seedling root morphology to different fertilization levels. 【Result】The effects of different fertilization levels on leaf, stem and root biomass and the root-top ratio increased gradually with the growth of C. gilva seedlings. The seedling height of 9-month-old container seedlings was not sensitive to change in the fertilizer application amount, However, the response of seedling height of 10 and 11-month-old container seedlings to such a change increased significantly. The optimal slow-release fertilizer addition amount was determined as 3.00 kg/m3. The ground diameter of the container seedlings was not sensitive to changes in fertilizer application amount. The growth indexes of container seedlings exhibited an increasing trend with the container seedling age. In particular, the root system of the container seedlings increased its contact area with the soil through continuous lateral growth, thus absorbing more nutrients. Moreover, the effect of slow-release fertilizer addition on seedling growth and root development was continuously enhanced, and the appropriate fertilization level was able to promote the root development of seedlings. The addition of 1.50 kg/m3 slow-release fertilizer had a better effect on the growth and root development of 9-month-old container seedlings compared to 10 and 11-month-old seedlings, while the addition of 2.25-3.00 kg/m3 slow-release fertilizer had a better effect on the growth of 10 and 11-months- seedlings. From 9 to 10 months of seedling growth, the fractal dimension of container seedlings was relatively low, while that for 11-month-old container seedlings increased significantly. The maximum root fractal dimension of container seedlings of different ages was observed at 4.50 kg/m3, while the root tip number of container seedlings was maximized at 1.50 kg/m3. The number of root tips decreased with the increase in slow-release fertilizer. In addition, the slow-release fertilizer addition of 3.75 kg/m3 resulted in the highest specific root length and specific surface area of container seedlings. From 9 to 11 months of seedling age, the root length of C. gilva container seedlings was the highest in the 0-0.2 mm diameter class, and the root length of different diameter classes showed a significant decreasing trend with the increase in diameter class. The adaptation strategies of container seedling roots to the nutrient status varied with the growth stage. For the 9 and 10-month-old seedlings, more roots were formed under the relatively low-nutrient status, while the medium nutrient status was conducive to the formation of more roots in the 11-month-old seedlings. Under different fertilization levels, the difference in the root diameter class distribution of container seedlings gradually increased with the seedling age. The correlation between root growth and the development indexes also changed markedly with the increase in seedling age. The correlation between the fractal dimension and other indexes increased significantly, while the correlation between other indexes decreased. 【Conclusion】Significant differences were observed in the response of C. gilva container seedlings at different seedling ages to slow-release fertilizer. The low-nutrient environment of container seedlings with a seedling age of less than 9 months can ensure the high growth of seedlings and aid in forming a better root structure. The root growth of container seedlings is vigorous during the rapid growth period of 10-11 months, and the nutrient content of the substrate should be appropriately increased to meet the growth needs of seedlings. A relatively low-nutrient environment is conducive to the growth and root development of the seedlings after 4-months-old container seedling transplanting. When the seedlings are 10-11 months old, an appropriate topdressing should be applied to promote the root development of seedlings to save fertilizer and cultivate high-quality container seedlings.

Key words: Cyclobalanopsis gilva, container seedling, slow-release fertilizer, seedling growth, root morphology, dynamic response

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