engleski

The Influence of Climate and Soil Properties on Calcium Nutrition and Vitality of Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.)

The dynamics of Ca concentrations was investigated in current- and 1-year old silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) needles and composite soil samples from five research plots. The research was conducted in two subsequent but climatologically diverse years and trees were divided into three defoliation classes to assess the influence of climate and soil properties on calcium nutrition and vitality of silver fir. Statistically significant differences between plots were determined in Ca concentrations in soils. Concentrations of Ca in silver fir needles were statistically different regarding plot, defoliation class, sampling date within the same year and also between sampling years. Fir trees on acid-rock based soils had lower, often inadequate concentrations of Ca in needles whereas the opposite was true for trees growing on Ca-rich soils. Silver fir trees of lower vitality exhibited poor Ca nutrition, while Ca nutrition of less defoliated trees was adequate on all plots. The differences in climate properties between years were strongly reflected in silver fir calcium nutrition. Drought caused poor apsorption of Ca on all plots and in all defoliation classes, but the combined influence of climate and soil properties affected especially trees of low vitality on acid-rock based soils.

Calcium; silver fir; defoliation; drought; soil properties

nije evidentirano