Leaf angle responds to nitrogen supply in eucalypt seedlings. Is it a photoprotective mechanism?

We examined the adjustment of leaf angle (L theta) and foliar chlorophyll and xanthophyll chemistry in Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden seedlings maintained in various nitrogen (N)-supply treatments over a 6-month period. Adjustment of L theta toward the vertical was greatest under conditions of foliar N deficiency and became incrementally more horizontal with increasing foliar N concentration. Photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and quantum yield were lower in seedlings with low foliar N (low-N seedlings) in winter, but not in autumn. Low-N seedlings generally had low area-based chlorophyll concentrations and high xanthophyll-cycle conversion ratios, particularly during months of low temperature. Under mild temperature conditions, high concentrations of zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin were associated with lower electron transport rates (ETR). Incident light, Fv/Fm, ETR and total chlorophyll concentration were negatively correlated with L theta, with horizontal leaf orientation measured as 0 degrees and vertical leaf orientation as 90 degrees . Xanthophyll conversion ratio was positively correlated with L theta. Adjustments in L theta may play a role in photoprotection of E. nitens seedlings by assisting the leaf to balance its utilization and dissipation of energy.

Photosynthetic capacity and foliar nitrogen distribution in Eucalyptus nitens is altered by high-intensity thinning.

The changes in photosynthetic rates, light environment and foliar nutrient concentrations following thinning were examined in an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden plantation. The objectives of the study were to: (1) determine the extent to which maximum photosynthetic rates (Amax) of E. nitens are affected by stand thinning; (2) relate the spatial pattern of Amax within the crown to the changes in light environment caused by thinning; and (3) establish if the responses of Amax to thinning are driven by changes in area-based foliar nitrogen (Na) or phosphorus (Pa) concentrations. Photosynthetic rates measured under saturating light availability increased throughout the crown after thinning. The greatest increases were observed in the lower and middle crown zones. Photosynthetic rate was positively related to foliar N concentration. Thinning increased Na and Pa because of a significant decrease in specific leaf area (SLA) after thinning. Changes in photosynthetic rates, SLA and foliar nutrient distributions with thinning were well correlated with changes in incident solar irradiance throughout the tree crown.

Chilling-dependent photoinhibition, nutrition and growth analysis of Eucalyptus nitens seedlings during establishment.

Effects of chilling-dependent photoinhibition on gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, growth and nutrition of Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden seedlings were assessed for 70 weeks after transplanting 9-month-old seedlings in early winter. One month before transplanting, the seedlings were assigned to fertilized or nutrient-deprived treatments. Immediately after transplanting, half the seedlings in each nutrient treatment were placed in shadecloth tree shelters. The experimental site was at an altitude of 700 m, which is considered marginal for the establishment of E. nitens plantations in Tasmania because of low mean annual minimum temperatures. Overnight frosts followed by sunny morning conditions in the first 20 weeks after transplanting (early June to early October) caused severe photoinhibition. Predawn maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and maximum net photosynthesis (Amax) were depressed in nutrient-deprived seedlings compared with fertilized seedlings, although shading partially alleviated this difference. Neither Fv/Fm nor Amax recovered to values observed before transplanting until > 20 weeks after transplanting. During this period, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was high in seedlings in all treatments, although NPQ was lower in shaded, fertilized seedlings than in seedlings in the other treatments. Total foliar nitrogen (N) concentration increased up to 42 weeks after transplanting in the nutrient-deprived seedlings in parallel with increasing relative growth rate (RGR). Fractionation of N- and phosphorus (P)-containing compounds indicated that differences in protein N accounted for the treatment differences in total seedling N. Nucleic acid P increased and inorganic P decreased during growth periods, although total seedling P remained constant. Among treated seedlings, height growth was greatest in shaded seedlings: this was probably a result of apical dominance effects because RGR was higher in unshaded seedlings than in shaded seedlings. Thus, the shade treatment alleviated chilling-dependent photoinhibition and maximized growth during winter, but limited growth during warmer periods and therefore overall growth.

Measured and predicted changes in tree and stand water use following high-intensity thinning of an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantation.

We investigated changes in the pattern of water use of an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden plantation soon after thinning. Sap flow sensors using heat pulse technology were deployed across three stands thinned to a final density of 100, 250 or 600 trees ha-1 plus an unthinned control (1250 trees ha-1). Changes in the relationship between tree size and daily water use were measured for 4 to 7 months after thinning. Thinning had no effect on sapwood water content. The increase in tree water use as a result of thinning was driven largely by significant changes in the radial pattern of sap velocity through the sapwood. The use of a canopy fraction factor in the Penman-Monteith equation to account for discontinuous canopies showed promise as a simple and effective method of scaling the model to predict transpiration from thinned plantations.

Whole-tree transpiration and water-use partitioning between Eucalyptus nitens and Acacia dealbata weeds in a short-rotation plantation in northeastern Tasmania.

Whole-tree water use in 4- and 8-year-old plantations of Eucalyptus nitens Deane and Maiden (ex Maiden) in the presence and absence of Acacia dealbata Link. weeds was estimated by the heat pulse velocity technique during a six-week summer period. Maximum sap velocities were recorded between 5 and 15 mm under the cambium for both eucalypt and acacia trees, and marked radial and axial variations in sap velocity were observed. The latter source of variation was most pronounced in mixed stands where crowns were asymmetrical. Mean daily sap flux ranged from 1.4 to 103.6 l day(-1) for eucalypts and from < 0.1 to 8.4 l day(-1) for acacias. Stem diameter explained 98% of the variation in sapwood area for E. nitens and 89% for A. dealbata, and was determined to be a suitable parameter for scaling water use from the tree to stand level. Plot transpiration varied from 1.4 to 2.8 mm day(-1) in mixed 8-year-old plots and was 0.85 mm day(-1) in a mixed 4-year-old plot. The degree of A. dealbata infestation was associated with absolute plot water use and regression models predicted that, in the absence of acacia competition, plot water use for the 8-year-old stand would approach 5-6 mm day(-1) during the growing season.