Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-g4j75 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-12T08:58:52.422Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Structure and physiology of Sitka spruce roots

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

M. P. Coutts  and
J. J. Philipson
M. P. Coutts
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9SY, Scotland, U.K.
J. J. Philipson
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9SY, Scotland, U.K.
Get access

Synopsis

The growth and development of Sitka spruce roots is reviewed against the practical background of tree stability. Two features of the roots which make Sitka spruce liable to windthrow on upland sites are the shallow development in unfavourable soil conditions, and restricted lateral spread and anchorage caused by some forms of cultivation. Responses to different aspects of the soil environment are discussed, with emphasis on mineral nutrition, drying of the soil, waterlogging and temperature. The development of a small number of major woody roots from an assortment of primary laterals on the transplant occurs at an early age and is determined both by the relative size and vigour of the primary roots and by their local environment. The roots, which respond to increases in nitrogen and phosphorus supply with enhanced growth, are sensitive to drying of the soil and are particularly so to waterlogging, but they show no unusual response to soil temperature. Adventitious roots can play a role in the survival and development of the root system.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 93 , Issue 1-2: Sitka Spruce , 1987 , pp. 131 - 144
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, S. N., Dickson, D. A. & Cornforth, I. S. 1972. Some effects of soil water tables on the growth of Sitka spruce in Northern Ireland. Forestry 45, 129–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, I. J. & Fairley, R. I. 1983. Effect of N fertilisation on populations of fine roots and mycorrhizas in spruce humus. Plant and Soil 71, 49–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, W. 1975. Waterlogged soils. In Environment and Plant Ecology, ed. Etherington, J. R. Chap. 7, pp. 181–218. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Armstrong, W., Booth, T. C., Priestly, P. & Read, D. J. 1976. The relationship between soil aeration, stability and growth of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) on upland peaty gleys. Journal of Applied Ecology 13, 585–591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, W. & Reid, D. J. 1972. Some observations on oxygen transport in conifer seedlings. New Phytologist 71, 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barta, A. L. 1976. Transport and distribution of 14CO2 assimilates in Lolium perenne in response to varying N supply to halves of a divided root system. Physiologia Plantarum 38, 48–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Binns, W. O. 1962. Peat as a substrate for tree growth. Irish Forestry 19, 32–55.Google Scholar
Boggie, R. 1974. Response of seedlings of Pinus contorta and Picea sitchensis to oxygen concentrations in culture solutions. New Phytologist 73, 467–473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Booth, T. C. & Mayhead, G. J. 1972. Tree stability. Forestry Commission Report on Forest Research 1972, pp. 65–66. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Bradbury, I. K. & Malcolm, D. C. 1978. Dry matter accumulation by Picea sitchensis seedlings during winter. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 8, 207–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carey, M. L., McCarthy, R. G. & Hendrick, E. 1984. Nutrient budgets in young Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine on a raised bog. Proceedings of the 7th International Peat Congress, Vol. III, pp. 207–218.Google Scholar
Carlson, W. C., Preisig, C. L. & Promnitz, L. C. 1980. Comparative root system morphologies of seeded-in-place, bare-root, and container-cultured plug Sitka spruce seedlings after out-planting. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 10, 250–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1982a. Growth of Sitka spruce seedlings with roots divided between soils of unequal matric potential. New Phytologist 92, 49–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1982b. The tolerance of tree roots to waterlogging. V. Growth of woody roots of Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine in waterlogged soil. New Phylologist 90, 467–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1983a. Root anchorage and tree stability. Plant and Soil 71, 171–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1983b. Development of the structural root system of Sitka spruce. Forestry 56, 1–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1986. Components of tree stability in Sitka spruce on peaty gley soil. Forestry 59, 173–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. 1987. Developmental processes in tree root systems. Canadian Journal of Forest Research (in press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. & Armstrong, W. 1976. Role of oxygen transport in the tolerance of trees to waterlogging. In Tree Physiology and Yield Improvement, eds. Cannell, M. G. R. & Last, F. T., Chap. 21, pp. 362–385. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Coutts, M. P. & Philipson, J. J. 1976. The influence of mineral nutrition on the root development of trees. I. The growth of Sitka spruce with divided root systems. Journal of Experimental Botany 27, 1102–1111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. & Philipson, J. J. 1977. The influence of mineral nutrition on the root development of trees. III. Plasticity of root growth in response to changes in the nutrient environment. Journal of Experimental Botany 28, 1071–1075.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. & Philipson, J. J. 1978a. Tolerance of tree roots to waterlogging. I. Survival of Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine. New Phytologist 80, 63–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coutts, M. P. & Philipson, J. J. 1978b. Tolerance of tree roots to waterlogging. II. Adaptation of Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine to waterlogged soil. New Phytologist 80, 71–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crawford, R. M. M. 1976. Tolerance of anoxia and the regulation of glucolysis in tree roots. In Tree Physiology and Yield Improvement, eds. Cannell, M. G. R. & Last, F. T., Chap. 22, pp. 387–401. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Crawford, R. M. M. 1978. Metabolic adaptations to anoxia. In Plant Life in Anaerobic Environments, eds. Hook, D. D. & Crawford, R. M. M., Chap. 4, pp. 119–136. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Science.Google Scholar
Day, W. R. 1957. Sitka spruce in British Columbia. Forestry Commission Bulletin 28. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Day, W. R. 1963. The development of Sitka spruce on peat. Scottish Forestry 17, 219–236.Google Scholar
Deans, J. D. 1979. Fluctuations of the soil environment and fine root growth in a young Sitka spruce plantation. Plant and Soil 52, 195–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deans, J. D. 1981. Dynamics of coarse root production in a young plantation of Picea sitchensis. Forestry 54, 139–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deans, J. D. 1983. Distribution of thick roots in a Sitka spruce plantation 16 years after planting. Scottish Forestry 37, 17–31.Google Scholar
Deans, J. D. & Ford, E. D. 1983. Modelling root structure and stability. Plant and Soil 71, 189–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drew, M. E., Jackson, M. B. & Giffard, S. 1979. Ethylene-promoted adventitious rooting and development of cortical air spaces (aerenchyma) in roots may be adaptive responses to flooding in Zea mays L. Planta 147, 83–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Everard, J. E., Neustein, S. A. & Taylor, G. G. M. 1970. Crop stability. Forestry Commission Report on Forest Research 1970, pp. 96–97. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Ford, E. D. & Deans, D. J. 1977. Growth of a Sitka spruce plantation: spatial distribution and seasonal fluctuations of lengths, weights and carbohydrate concentrations of fine roots. Plant and Soil 47, 463–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, A. I. & Gardiner, J. B. H. 1967. Rooting and stability in Sitka spruce. Forestry Commission Bulletin 40. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Hackett, C. 1972. A method of applying nutrients locally to roots under controlled conditions, and some morphological effects of locally applied nitrate on the branching of wheat roots. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 25, 1168–1180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, R., Ford, E. D., Renshaw, E. & Deans, J. D. 1983a. Morphology of the structural root system of Sitka spruce. 1. Analysis and quantitative description. Forestry 56, 121–135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, R., Ford, E. D., & Renshaw, E. 1983b. Morphology of the structural root system of Sitka spruce. 2. Computer simulation of rooting patterns. Forestry 56, 137–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendrick, E., Carroll, N. & Pfeifer, A. R. 1984. Effect of ploughing direction and method on the stem form of South Coastal Lodgepole pine. Irish Forestry 41, 66–76.Google Scholar
Jackson, M. B. & Campbell, D. J. 1976. Waterlogging and petiole epinasty in tomato: the role of ethylene and low oxygen. New Phytologist 76, 21–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawase, M. 1981. Effect of ethylene on aerenchyma development. American Journal of Botany 68, 651–658.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kimmins, J. P. & Hawkes, B. C. 1978. Distribution and chemistry of fine roots in a white spruce-subalpine fir stand in British Columbia: implications for management. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 8, 265–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kozlowski, T. T. 1982. Water supply and tree growth. Part II. Flooding. Forestry Abstracts 43, 145–161.Google Scholar
Laing, E. V. 1932. Studies on tree roots. Forestry Commission Bulletin 13. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Mason, W. L., Mannaro, P. M. & White, I. M. S. 1986. Growth and root development in cuttings and transplants of Sitka spruce 3 years after planting. Scottish Forestry 40, 276–284.Google Scholar
Miller, K. F. & Coutts, M. P. 1986. A provisional comparison of ploughing and subsoiling in relation to growth and stand stability of Sitka spruce in upland forests. Forestry Commission Research Information Note 104. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Philipson, J. J. & Coutts, M. P. 1977. The influence of mineral nutrition on the root development of trees II. The effect of specific nutrient elements on the growth of individual roots of Sitka spruce. Journal of Experimental Botany 28, 864–871.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philipson, J. J. & Coutts, M. P. 1978. The tolerance of tree roots to waterlogging. III. Oxygen transport in lodgepole pine and Sitka spruce roots of primary structure. New Phytologist 80, 341–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philipson, J. J. & Coutts, M. P. 1979. The induction of root dormancy in Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. by abscissic acid. Journal of Experimental Botany 30, 371–380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philipson, J. J. & Coutts, M. P. 1980a. Effects of growth hormone application on the secondary growth of roots and stems in Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. Annals of Botany 46, 747–755.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philipson, J. J. & Coutts, M. P. 1980b. The tolerance of tree roots to waterlogging. IV. Oxygen transport in woody roots of Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine. New Phytologist 85, 489–494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pyatt, D. G. & Smith, K. A. 1983. Water and oxygen regimes of four soil types at Newcastleton Forest, south Scotland. Journal of Soil Science 34, 465–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, E. R. C. 1983. The development of root systems analysed by growth rings. Plant and Soil 71, 167–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanderson, P. L. & Armstrong, W. 1980a. The responses of conifers to some of the adverse factors associated with waterlogged soils. New Phytologist 85, 351–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanderson, P. L. & Armstrong, W. 1980b. Phytotoxins in periodically waterlogged soils. Journal of Soil Science 31, 643–653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saville, P. S. 1976. The effects of drainage and ploughing of surface water gleys on rooting and windthrow of Sitka spruce in Northern Ireland. Forestry 49, 133–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, R. F. 1969. Form and development of conifer root systems. Commonwealth Forestry Bureau, Technical Communication 7.Google Scholar
Wagg, J. W. B. 1967. Origin and development of white spruce root forms. Canadian Department of Forestry, Departmental Publication 1192.Google Scholar
Walker, C. 1987. Sitka spruce mycorrhizas. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 93B, 117–129.Google Scholar
Wareing, P. F., Hanney, C. E. A. & Digby, J. 1964. The role of endogenous hormones in cambial activity and xylem differentiation. In The Formation of Wood in Forest Trees, ed. Zimmerman, M. H.. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Wilcox, H. E. 1954. Primary organisation of active and dormant roots of noble fir, Abies procera. American Journal of Botany 41, 812–821.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilcox, H. E. 1968. Morphological studies of the root of red pine, Pinus resinosa. I. Growth characteristics and patterns of branching. American Journal of Botany 55, 247–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeatman, C. W. 1955. Tree root development on upland heaths. Forestry Commission Bulletin 21. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Zehetmayr, J. W. L. 1954. Experiments in tree planting on peat. Forestry Commission Bulletin 22. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar