Nina Prasolova

Genetic variation in foliar carbon isotope composition in relation to tree growth and foliar nitrogen concentration in clones of the F1 hybrid between slash pine and Caribbean pine

The objectives of this study were: (1) to quantify the genetic variation in foliar carbon isotope composition (delta(13)C) of 122 clones of ca. 4-year-old F-1 hybrids between slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm var. elliottii) and Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis Barr.,et Golf.) grown at two field experimental sites with different water and nitrogen availability in southeast Queensland, Australia, in relation to tree growth and foliar nitrogen concentration (N-mass); and (2) to assess the potential of using delta(13)C measurements, in the foliage materials collected from the clone hedges at nursery and the 4-year-old tree canopies in the field, as an indirect index of tree water use efficiency for selecting elite F-1 hybrid pine clones with improved tree growth. There were significant differences in foliar delta(13)C between the nursery hedges and the 4-year-old tree canopies in the field, between the summer and winter seasons, between the two experimental sites, and between the upper outer and lower outer canopy positions sampled. This indicates that delta(13)C measurements in the foliage materials are significantly influenced by the sampling techniques and environmental conditions. Significant differences in foliar delta(13)C, at the upper outer canopy in both field experiments in summer and winter, were detected between the clones, and between the female parents of the clones. Clone means of tree height at age ca. 3 years were positively related to those of the upper outer canopy delta(13)C at both experimental sites in winter, but only for the wetter site in summer. There were positive, linear relationships between clone means of canopy delta(13)C and those of canopy N-mass, indicating that canopy photosynthetic capacity might be an important factor regulating the clonal variation in canopy delta(13)C. Significant correlations were found between clone means of canopy delta(13)C at both experimental sites in summer and winter, and between those at the upper outer and lower outer canopy positions. Mean clone delta(13)C for the nursery hedges was only positively related to mean clone stem diameter at 1.3 m height at age 3 years on the wetter site. The clone by site interaction for foliar delta(13)C at the upper outer canopy was significant only in summer. Overall, the relatively high genetic variance components for foliar delta(13)C and significant, positive correlations between clone means of foliar delta(13)C and tree growth have highlighted the potential of using foliar delta(13)C measurements for assisting in selection of the elite F-1 hybrid pine clones with improved tree growth

Sampling Size Required for Determining Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Properties at Early Establishment of Second Rotation Hoop Pine Plantations in Subtropical Australia

Investigations into forest soils face the problem of the high level of spatial variability that is an inherent property of all forest soils. In order to investigate the effect of changes in residue management practices on soil properties in hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex A. Cunn.) plantations of subtropical Australia it was important to understand the intensity of sampling effort required to overcome the spatial variability induced by those changes. Harvest residues were formed into windrows to prevent nitrogen (N) losses through volatilisation and erosion that had previously occurred as a result of pile and burn operations. We selected second rotation (2R) hoop pine sites where the windrows (10{15 m apart) had been formed 1, 2 and 3 years prior to sampling in order to examine the spatial variability in soil carbon (C) and N and in potential mineralisable N (PMN) in the areas beneath and between (inter-) the windrows. We examined the implications of soil variability on the number of samples required to detect differences in means for specific soil properties, at different ages and at specified levels of accuracy. Sample size needed to accurately reflect differences between means was not affected by the position where the samples were taken relative to the windrows but differed according to the parameter to be sampled. The relative soil sampling size required for detecting differences between means of a soil property in the inter-windrow and beneath-windrow positions was highly dependent on the soil property assessed and the acceptable relative sampling error. An alternative strategy for soil sampling should be considered, if the estimated sample size exceeds 50 replications. The possible solution to this problem is collection of composite soil samples allowing a substantial reduction in the number of samples required for chemical analysis without loss in the precision of the mean estimates for a particular soil property.