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Abstract
Sap extracts of Cupressus glabra and Cupressocyparis leylandii were obtained from their branches by application of pressure using a hand press, and a chemical analysis was carried out of the macronutrients nitrate (NO3 ‐), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). The measured concentrations in the sap extract were used to prove the usefulness of this material for diagnosis of the nutritional status of plants. The results obtained at different sampling times indicated fluctuating nutrient concentrations in the extract, but they allow chemical differentiation between the three substrates used during the growth season, especially with the November sample at the end of the growing season. Using sap concentrations from highest quality plants grown in hydroponic cultures as reference levels, nutrient diagnosis and fertilization schedules can be obtained by means of a single comparison between the sap nutrient concentrations of the test and the reference samples. Consequently, this system may be a good tool to estimate the nutritional status of conifers and useful to change the composition of the nutrient solutions during a fertigation process in nurseries when necessary. Such estimation can be achieved to the same extent as foliar analysis in nutritional studies and fertilizer tests.
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