Effect of vegetative competition on the moisture and nutrient status of loblolly pine

Abstract

A field study examined the effects of competing vegetation on the moisture and nutrient status of 5-year-old loblolly pines (Pinustaeda L.). Similar experiments were conducted on a Piedmont site and a Coastal Plain site using individual pines as experimental units. Predawn measurements of xylem pressure potential were made using detached needle fascicles, and nutrient concentrations in soil and foliage samples were determined monthly. This study was conducted during the 3rd year of a relatively dry 3-year period. On the Piedmont site, elimination of all competing vegetation within 1.5 m of the pines significantly lowered moisture stress when compared with the no-elimination treatment; on the Coastal Plainee site, differences were significant on only half of the assay dates. Removing only arborescent vegetation on the Piedmont site reduced pine water stress one-half as much as removing all vegetation, but on the Coastal Plain site this reduction was about two-thirds of that found following removal of all vegetation. As drought length increased, stress increased, regardless of treatment. Higher levels of competing vegetation significantly reduced available potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese concentrations in the loamy sand of the Coastal Plain site, but only potassium was reduced on the Piedmont. None of the treatments significantly affected foliar nutrients at either site.