Overcoming Constraints to High-Yield Plantation-Grown Hardwoods in the Southeastern United States
This project was comprised of the following four inter-related tasks: Task 1 Plantation Maintenance and Measurement--Data on dry weight productivity per tree and/or growth as measured by individual tree height and diameter at a specified height on the stem was determined at the end of each of five years corresponding to ages 2 through 6. Measurements of height and diameter were recorded once a month during the growing season on a subsample of four trees per clone per species per treatment combination. Dry biomass in the leaf litter traps during the growing season once the canopy has closed was periodically collected and measured. Foliar nutrient levels were determined once a month by removing LPI 8 on each subsampled measurement tree and completing nutrient analyses. Weather data, including precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature and photosynthetically active radiation on an hourly basis were recorded daily. Information on irrigation rates and fertilization levels were collected. Task 2 Intra- And Interspecific Variation In Osmotic Potential--The specific objectives of this task were: (1) to determine whether limitation in water availability constrains productivity and influences leaf osmotic potential of cottonwood, sycamore, and/or sweetgum growing under short-rotation field conditions, (2) to document the occurrence of osmotic adjustment under varying levels of water availability levels, and (3) to determine the effect of nitrogen fertilization on osmotic potential and response to irrigation. Task 3 Leaf Gas Exchange And Water-Use Efficiency--The specific objectives of this task were: (1) to quantify the contribution of photosynthesis, respiration, and water-use efficiency to the productivity of individual cottonwood, sycamore, and sweetgum trees grown under various levels of water and/or nutrient availability, and (2) to quantify intra- and interspecific variability for photosynthesis, respiration, and water-use efficiency for cottonwood, sycamore, and/or sweetgum. Task 4 Whole-Plant Carbon Budgets--The specific objectives of this task were: (1) to evaluate foliar and non-foliar dry matter allocation with respect to water and/or nutrient availability; (2) to test the impacts of water and/or nutrient availability on tissue-specific respiration rates, and (3) to evaluate whole-plant carbon budgets for individual clones or species as a means of determining the relative limitations placed on above-ground production by respiratory processes in branches, stems, and roots.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Solar Thermal, Biomass Power, and Hydrogen Technologies (EE-13)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 940377
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL96-0445; TRN: US200824%%264
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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