Nursery production and morphophysiological response of Pinus leiophylla Schl. & Cham. in the field

Abstract

The low survival of forest plants in reforestations makes it necessary to adopt nursery techniques according to the characteristics of the plantation site. An experiment was established to determine the effects of two nursery management factors on morphophysiological variables of Pinus leiophylla during initial field development. The factors tested from the nursery were established at two levels: factor 1 substrate: peat moss, raw pine sawdust; factor 2 nutrient addition rate: constant, exponential. It is concluded that the use of raw sawdust as a substrate produces small plants with high nutritional concentrations of N, P and K due to a concentration effect caused by the exponential fertilization rate, which presents adequate survival and initial growth in the field, in shallow soils of low fertility, exhibiting greater increases in height and needle biomass. Exponential fertilization increases nutrient reserves, improving initial growth in the field with both substrates, peat moss and sawdust. All transplanted individuals had a survival rate of 80% within a degraded site, a Figure that exceeds that reported in Mexico during the last decade.