Affiliation:
1. Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
2. USDA Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service, Olympia, WA 98512, USA
Abstract
Drought is a major stressor of tree seedlings regarding both natural and artificial regeneration, especially in excessively drained, sandy outwash soils. While climate change is expected to cause an increase in the total annual precipitation in the Upper Midwest, USA, the timing of the precipitation is predicted to result in longer periods of drought during the growing season. Biochar, a material created through the pyrolysis of organic matter, such as wood waste, has been proposed as a soil amendment that may increase the water holding capacity of a soil. Biochar has mostly been studied in agricultural settings, and less is known about the impact of biochar on forest soils and tree seedlings. We used a greenhouse experiment to test the ability of biochar to improve the drought tolerance of jack pine (Pinus banksiana) seedlings via increased soil water holding capacity. The seedlings were planted in sandy soil treated with three levels of biochar (none, 3% by weight, and 6% by weight) in two experiments, one manipulating the timing of drought onset and the other controlling the amount of water that seedlings received. Our results showed no significant effects of biochar on seedling survival, growth, or physiology under drought conditions. While this outcome did not support the hypothesis that biochar would increase seedling performance, the biochar amendments did not negatively affect seedlings, indicating that biochar may be added to soil for carbon storage without having negative short-term impacts on tree seedlings.
Funder
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station
Reference59 articles.
1. Wuebbles, D.J., Fahey, D.W., Hibbard, K.A., Dokken, D.J., Stewart, B.C., and Maycock, T.K. (2017). Precipitation Change in the United States, Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I.
2. Vose, J.M., Clark, J.S., Luce, C.H., and Patel-Weynand, T. (2016). Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis, GTR WO-93b.
3. Forest management for carbon sequestration and climate adaptation;Ontl;J. For.,2020
4. Responses of forest trees to single and multiple environmental stresses from seedlings to mature plants: Past stress history, stress interactions, tolerance and acclimation;Niinemets;For. Ecol. Manag.,2010
5. Do mycorrhizal network benefits to survival and growth of interior Douglas-fir seedlings increase with soil moisture stress?;Bingham;Ecol. Evol.,2011