Differential environments influence initial transplant establishment among tree species produced in five container sizes
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2016 International Society of Arboriculture. Effects of two post-transplant environments were tested on trees grown in five nursery container sizes to determine differences in initial post-transplant growth. Vitex agnus-castus L., Acer rubrum L. var. drummondii (Hook. & Arn. ex Nutt.) Sarg., and Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. grown in 3.5 L (#1), 11.7 L (#3), 23.3 L (#7), 97.8 L (#25), and 175.0 L (#45) containers were transplanted in early summer into field plots in College Station, Texas, and Starkville, Mississippi, U.S. Height, trunk diameter, and canopy width measurements were recorded after nursery production and the end of the first growing season to determine initial growth during landscape establishment. Growth of A. rubrum and T. distichum were significantly (P 0.05) affected by interactions among container sizes and environments, while V. agnus-castus did not demonstrate a difference between environments but were affected by container sizes. Across all species and locations, trees transplanted from smaller container sizes exhibited a greater percent change in growth than the larger container-size trees. Greater percent change in growth measures in the smaller container-size trees during the first growing season may indicate a more rapid establishment time compared to trees from larger containers. Where differential responses to environments occurred, predominantly the beneficial effects of smaller container sizes on post-transplant establishment were accentuated with more stressful establishment conditions.
