Seasonal changes in soil and tissue nutrition in balsam fir and influence on postharvest needle abscission

ABSTRACT

Postharvest needle abscission in balsam fir varies based on time of harvest, but little is known about the effect of soil and tree nutrition on postharvest needle abscission. From April to November, 18 balsam fir samples were obtained each month and evaluated for postharvest needle abscission characteristics. Soil samples were collected simultaneously and evaluated for moisture, pH, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and mineral nutrition. Needle tissue samples were also evaluated for mineral nutrition. Many parameters were found to vary based on month throughout the study, but not all were associated with needle abscission. Soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, Ca, and Mn all had a significant (P < .01) positive relationship with needle retention; soil Al had a significant (P < .01) negative relationship with needle retention. Needle N, Ca, and Fe were also associated with needle abscission. The strongest positive relationship was found between needle Ca and needle retention (R² > .50), suggesting that higher concentrations of tissue Ca were linked to superior needle retention in balsam fir. Overall, this study provides evidence that changes to soil management, such as the inclusion of organic matter and certain minerals, may improve needle retention in balsam fir.

KEYWORDS:

• Abies balsamea
• calcium
• fluorescence
• minerals
• needle retention
• organic matter

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Matthew Priest for the generous use of his balsam fir orchard and Scott Veitch for his assistance gathering soil samples. RL and MM conceived the idea for the experiment and drafted the manuscript. RL received funding (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) for the experiment and MM carried out the experiment and analyzed data. Both RL and MM participated in all aspects of the critical review of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (CRDPJ-364061-07/09) and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (195310).