Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)
Report, 1980

Frost hardiness in Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.). : 2, Hardiness during winter and spring in young trees of different mineral nutrient status

Aronsson, Aron

Abstract

Frost hardiness in Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.) with different concentrations of mineral nutrients in the needles was determined during winter by different freezing treatments. For the determinations, needles from a fertiliser experiment in central Sweden were used. The main effect of fertilisation on nutrient concentrations in the needles was on nitrogen, which showed a marked responce to treatment. Frost hardiness determinations were made by measuring the leakage of electrolytes from the needles. With freezing freatmenfs that caused heavy damage, there was a maximum hardiness at nitrogen concentrations of between 1.3 to 1.8 % dw, whilst with moderate damage, no such maximum could be detected. In this case, a tendency towards decreasing hardiness with increasing nitrogen concentration was observed. In the spring, 1971, two relatively hard frosts occurred in late May and early June. The frosts caused damage to several trees at many plots in the fertiliser experiment. The incidence of damaged trees increased above a needle concentration of about 1.8-2.0 % nitrogen dw, but even at high nitrogen content there were many plots with no damaged trees, suggesting that a factor or factors other than nitrogen content may influence frost hardiness. Frost hardiness did not appear to be related to needle concentrations of potassium. Low boron content, which has been associated with visual damage within the experimental area, was not directly related to hardiness as measured by freezing experiments.

Keywords

frost hardiness; Scots pine; Pinus silvestris; mineral nutrient

Published in

Studia Forestalia Suecica
1980,
ISBN: 91-38-05751-4
Publisher: College of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/125416