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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Environmental factors of pine tip burn

Book ·
OSTI ID:6474441

A study was made to evaluate the shoot and root factors related to ponderosa pine tip burn in Denver, Colorado. Grafts were made with scions from healthy and injured pines. Slight differences were observed in the foliage of ramets grown in filtered atmospheres and those grown in ambient air in Denver. Denver air samples revealed no pollutant levels above the phytotoxic threshold of ponderosa pine. Reciprocal field grafts and ozone fumigations produced no positive results. Small differences were noted between ramets grown in mountain soil and ramets grown in Denver soil. Tip burn injury was produced on pines treated with solutions of NaCl; a Ca-Mg chloride mixture; and a Ca-Mg-Na chloride mixture. Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ and NaHCO/sub 3/ solutions did not produce typical tip burn symptoms. Strong positive correlations were found between needle injury and Ca, Mg, and Cl tissue concentration. A strong negative correlation was found between needle injury and pine tissue sulfur levels. No significant difference was found between total soluble salt concentrations of soil around injured pines and soil around healthy pines. Soil chloride differences, however, were significant at the 1% level. The relationship between ponderosa pine tree tip burn and soil chloride toxicity is discussed.

OSTI ID:
6474441
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English