Fertilizers stimulate root production in cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) rhizomes transplanted in a cutover peatland
Cloudberry has good economic potential for Canada, but crop practices must be improved before commercial production can be established. Transplants usually consist of rhizome segments collected in natural populations; however, the very low root density of these transplants might partly explain their...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Plant Science |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/35534 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2016-0235 |
| Summary: | Cloudberry has good economic potential for Canada, but crop practices must be improved before commercial production can be established. Transplants usually consist of rhizome segments collected in natural populations; however, the very low root density of these transplants might partly explain their initial slow growth and high mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of mineral fertilization and auxin applications on root initiation and elongation. Three N–P–K fertilization treatments were applied at the planting of bare rhizomes in peatlands, while auxin applications were tested in both greenhouse and field experiments. Roots of fertilized plants were two to four times longer and more numerous than those of control plants after one complete growing season but fertilization did not lead to early rooting. Rhizome segments produced new shoots before investing in root production, suggesting that rhizome carbohydrate reserves are not sufficient to allow both the shoot and root to be produced at the same time. Auxin applications to the rhizomes incurred high mortality and did not stimulate root production in both the field and greenhouse experiments. We conclude that fertilizers applied at planting can improve cloudberry initial survival rate, rooting, and early shoot growth, which could eventually lead to improved plant cover and fruit yield. La chicouté présente un bon potentiel économique pour le Canada, mais il faut en améliorer la culture avant qu’on puisse la produire commercialement. Les boutures sont habituellement des segments de rhizome, recueillis dans des peuplements naturels. La densité très faible des racines chez les boutures pourrait expliquer en partie la croissance anémique initiale et le taux de mortalité élevé. Cette étude devait établir les effets d’un amendement minéral et de l’application d’auxine sur la production et l’élongation des racines. Trois engrais N–P–K ont été appliqués lors de la plantation de rhizomes nus dans une tourbière. L’application d’auxine a ... |
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