Articles
AMERICAN CHESTNUT SPROUT DYNAMICS
Article number
1019_33
Pages
223 – 227
Language
English
Abstract
American chestnut (Castanea dentate) populations have been decimated over the last 100 years by the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. The species can produce prolific numbers of root collar sprouts and often, after the death of the main stem, a number of root sprouts result.
The effects of three treatments were compared to assess sprout growth and sprout number among seven American chestnut populations in Michigan and Wisconsin: 1) removal of the largest sprout; 2) removal of all sprouts except the largest; and 3) no sprout removal (control). Across all sites, control trees produced more new sprouts compared to both sprout removal treatments.
Trees with the largest sprout left and all other sprouts removed (treatment 2) had the largest increase in size (diameter at breast height) while trees with the largest sprout removed had the smallest increase in size of the remaining sprouts.
The reduced growth of trees with the largest sprout removed indicates that the largest sprouts may provide important resources to the other sprouts.
However, the increased growth of trees when only the largest sprout remained and all others were removed showed that the small sprouts likely use resources that could be allocated for increased main stem growth if the small sprouts were not present.
These results provide a better understanding of how American chestnuts allocate resources, and a strategy for promoting increased growth rates of surviving American chestnut stems.
The effects of three treatments were compared to assess sprout growth and sprout number among seven American chestnut populations in Michigan and Wisconsin: 1) removal of the largest sprout; 2) removal of all sprouts except the largest; and 3) no sprout removal (control). Across all sites, control trees produced more new sprouts compared to both sprout removal treatments.
Trees with the largest sprout left and all other sprouts removed (treatment 2) had the largest increase in size (diameter at breast height) while trees with the largest sprout removed had the smallest increase in size of the remaining sprouts.
The reduced growth of trees with the largest sprout removed indicates that the largest sprouts may provide important resources to the other sprouts.
However, the increased growth of trees when only the largest sprout remained and all others were removed showed that the small sprouts likely use resources that could be allocated for increased main stem growth if the small sprouts were not present.
These results provide a better understanding of how American chestnuts allocate resources, and a strategy for promoting increased growth rates of surviving American chestnut stems.
Publication
Authors
D.L. Stevens, K. Soltau, A. Davelos Baines, A.M. Jarosz
Keywords
Castanea dentate, survival, growth, sprout
Online Articles (40)