Pruning of live branches is a management option to enhance wood quality in plantation trees. It may also alter whole-tree water use, but little is known about the extent and duration of changes in transpiration. In this study, sap flow sensors were used to measure transpiration for 14 days prior to, and 75 days following the removal, through pruning, of the lower 50% of the live-crown length of 10–11 m tall four-year old Eucalyptus pilularis Sm. and E. cloeziana F. Muell. trees. Pruning had no effect on stem growth, sapwood water content or radial pattern of sap velocity in either species. Pruning reduced mean daily water use by 39% in E. pilularis and 59% in E. cloeziana during the first eight days after pruning. Thirty six days after pruning there were no longer any significant differences in transpiration rates between pruned and unpruned trees in either species. Our results show that pruning of live branches had only a short-term effect on whole-tree transpiration in these sub-tropical eucalypt species.
References
[1]
Sosebee, R.E.; Wiebe, H.H. Effect of water stress and clipping on photosynthate translocation in two grasses. Agron. J. 1971, 63, 14–17, doi:10.2134/agronj1971.00021962006300010006x.
[2]
Ovaska, J.; Walls, M.; Mutikainen, P. Changes in leaf gas exchange properties of cloned Betula pendula saplings after partial defoliation. J. Exp. Bot. 1992, 43, 1301–1307, doi:10.1093/jxb/43.10.1301.
[3]
McJannet, D.; Vertessy, R. Effects of thinning on wood production, leaf area index, transpiration and canopy interception of a plantation subject to drought. Tree Physiol. 2001, 21, 1001–1008, doi:10.1093/treephys/21.12-13.1001.
[4]
Zeppel, M.J.B.; Murray, B.R.; Barton, C.; Eamus, D. Seasonal responses of xylem sap velocity to VPD and solar radiation during drought in a stand of native trees in temperate Australia. Funct. Plant Biol. 2004, 31, 461–470.
[5]
Whitehead, D.; Jarvis, P.G.; Waring, R.H. Stomatal conductance, transpiration, and resistance to water uptake in a Pinus sylvestris spacing experiment. Can. J. For. Res. 1984, 14, 692–700, doi:10.1139/x84-124.
[6]
Jarvis, P.G.; McNaughton, K.G. Stomatal control of transpiration: Scaling up from leaf to region. Adv. Ecol. Res. 1986, 15, 1–49.
[7]
Wullschleger, S.D.; Meinzer, F.C.; Vertessy, R.A. A review of whole-plant water use studies in trees. Tree Physiol. 1998, 18, 499–512.
[8]
Pepin, S.; Livingston, N.J.; Whitehead, D. Responses of transpiration and photosynthesis to reversible changes in photosynthetic foliage area in western red cedar (Thuja plicata) seedlings. Tree Physiol. 2002, 22, 363–371, doi:10.1093/treephys/22.6.363.
[9]
Whitehead, D.; Livingston, N.J.; Kelliher, F.M.; Hogan, K.P.; Pepin, S.; McSeveny, T.M.; Byers, J.N. Response of transpiration and photosynthesis to a transient change in illuminated foliage area for a Pinus radiata D. Don tree. Plant Cell Environ. 1996, 19, 949–957, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.1996.tb00459.x.
[10]
Quentin, A.G.; O’Grady, A.P.; Beadle, C.L.; Pinkard, E.L.; Worldege, D. Resonses of transpiration and canopy conductance to partial defoliation of Eucalyptus globulus trees. Agric. For. Meteorol. 2011, 151, 356–364, doi:10.1016/j.agrformet.2010.11.008.
[11]
Quentin, A.G.; O’Grady, A.P.; Beadle, C.L.; Mohammed, C.; Pinkard, E.A. Interactive effects of water supply and defoliation on photosynthesis, plant water status and growth of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Tree Physiol. 2012, 32, 958–967, doi:10.1093/treephys/tps066.
[12]
Forrester, D.I.; Collopy, J.J.; Beadle, C.L.; Warren, C.R.; Baker, T.G. Effect of thinning, pruning and nitrogen fertiliser application on transpiration, photosynthesis and water-use efficiency in a young Eucalyptus nitens plantation. For. Ecol. Manag. 2012, 266, 286–300, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.11.019.
[13]
Pinkard, E.A.; Beadle, C.L.; Davidson, N.J.; Battaglia, M. Photosynthetic responses of Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden to green pruning. Trees-Struct. Funct. 1998, 12, 119–129.
[14]
Pinkard, E.A. Physiological and growth responses related to pattern and severity of green pruning in young Eucalyptus globulus. For. Ecol. Manag. 2003, 182, 231–245, doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(03)00046-X.
[15]
Heichel, G.H.; Turner, N.C. Co2 assimilation of primary and regrowth foliage of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and red oak (Quercus rubra L.): Response to defoliation. Oecologia 1983, 57, 14–19, doi:10.1007/BF00379555.
[16]
Wallace, L.L.; McNaughton, S.J.; Coughenour, M.B. Compensatory photosynthetic responses of three African graminoids to different fertilization, watering and clipping regimes. Bot. Gazette 1984, 145, 151–156.
[17]
Whitehead, D.; Kelliher, F.M. A canopy water balance model for a Pinus radiata stand before and after thinning. Agric. For. Meteorol. 1991, 55, 109–126, doi:10.1016/0168-1923(91)90025-L.
[18]
Singh, K.A.; Thompson, F.B. Effect of lopping on water potential, transpiration, regrowth, 14C-photosynthate distribution and biomass production in Alnus glutinosa. Tree Physiol. 1995, 15, 197–202, doi:10.1093/treephys/15.3.197.
[19]
Alcorn, P.J.; Forrester, D.I.; Smith, R.G.B.; Thomas, D.S.; James, R.N.; Nicotra, A.B.; Bauhus, J. Crown structure and vertical foliage distribution in 4-year-old plantation-grown Eucalyptus pilularis and Eucalyptus cloeziana. Trees 2012. in press.
[20]
Milford, H.B. Soil Landscapes of the Coffs Harbour 1:100,000 Sheet Map; Department of Land and Water Conservation: Sydney, NSW, Australia, 1999.
[21]
Gilligan, L.B.; Brownlow, J.W.; Cameron, R.G.; Henley, H.F. Dorrigo-Coffs Harbour 1:250,000 Metallogenic Map sh/56–10, sh/56–11: Metallogenic Study and Mineral Deposit Data Sheet; Department of Mineral Resources: Sydney, NSW, Australia, 1992.
[22]
Smith, D.M.; Larson, B.C.; Kelty, M.J.; Ashton, P.M.S. The Practice of Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology, 9th ed.; John Wiley and Sons Inc.: New York, NY, USA, 1997.
[23]
Soares, P.; Tomé, M. A tree crown ratio prediction equation for eucalypt plantations. Ann. For. Sci. 2001, 58, 193–202.
[24]
Vertessy, R.A.; Benyon, R.G.; O’Sullivan, S.K.; Gribben, P.R. Relationships between stem diameter, sapwood area, leaf area and transpiration in a young mountain ash forest. Tree Physiol. 1995, 15, 559–567, doi:10.1093/treephys/15.9.559.
[25]
Hunt, M.A.; Beadle, C.L. Whole-tree transpiration and water-use partitioning between Eucalyptus nitens and Acacia dealbata weeds in a short-rotation plantation in northeastern Tasmania. Tree Physiol. 1998, 18, 557–563, doi:10.1093/treephys/18.8-9.557.
[26]
Medhurst, J.L.; Battaglia, M.; Beadle, C.L. Measured and predicted changes in tree and stand water use following high-intensity thinning of an 8-year-old Eucalyptus nitens plantation. Tree Physiol. 2002, 22, 775–784, doi:10.1093/treephys/22.11.775.
[27]
Zang, D.; Beadle, C.L.; White, D.A. Variation of sapflow velocity in Eucalyptus globulus with position in sapwood and use of a correction coefficient. Tree Physiol. 1996, 16, 697–703, doi:10.1093/treephys/16.8.697.
[28]
NRM Natural Resource Management. Queensland Government Web site, 2005. Available online: www.nrm.qld.gov.au/silo/datadrill (accessed on 1 January 2005).
[29]
Buck, A.L. New equations for computing vapor pressure deficit and enhancement factor. J. Appl. Meteorol. 1981, 20, 1527–1532.
[30]
Alcorn, P.J.; Bauhus, J.; Smith, R.G.B.; Thomas, D.; James, R.; Nicotra, A. Growth response following green crown pruning in plantation-grown Eucalyptus pilularis and E. Cloeziana. Can. J. For. Res. 2008, 38, 770–781, doi:10.1139/X07-185.
[31]
Forrester, D.I.; Collopy, J.J.; Beadle, C.L.; Baker, T.G. Interactive effects of simultaneously applied thinning, pruning and fertiliser application treatments on growth, biomass production and crown architecture in a young Eucalyptus nitens plantation. For. Ecol. Manag. 2012, 267, 104–116, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.11.039.
[32]
Forrester, D.I.; Collopy, J.J.; Beadle, C.L.; Baker, T.G. Effect of thinning, pruning and nitrogen fertiliser application on light interception and light-use efficiency in a young Eucalyptus nitens plantation. For. Ecol. Manag. 2013, 288, 21–30, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.11.024.
[33]
Forrester, D.I.; Medhurst, J.L.; Wood, M.; Beadle, C.L.; Valencia, J.C. Growth and physiological responses to silviculture for producing solid-wood products from Eucalyptus plantations: An australian perspective. For. Ecol. Manag. 2010, 259, 1819–1835, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.08.029.
[34]
Reich, P.B.; Walters, M.B.; Krause, S.C.; Vanderklein, D.W.; Raffa, K.F.; Tabone, T. Growth, nutrition and gas exchange of Pinus resinosa following artificial defoliation. Trees Struct. Funct. 1993, 7, 67–77.
[35]
Tschaplinski, T.; Blake, T.J. Growth and carbohydrate status of coppice shoots of hybrid poplar following shoot pruning. Tree Physiol. 1995, 15, 333–338.
[36]
Pataki, D.E.; Oren, R.; Katul, G.; Sigmon, J. Canopy conductance of Pinus taeda, Liquidambar styraciflua and Quercus phellos under varying atmospheric and soil water conditions. Tree Physiol. 1998, 18, 307–315, doi:10.1093/treephys/18.5.307.
[37]
Florence, R.G. Ecology and Silviculture of Eucalypt Forests; CSIRO: Collingwood, Australia, 1996; p. 413.
[38]
Whitehead, D.; Beadle, C.L. Physiological regulation of productivity and water use in Eucalyptus: A review. For. Ecol. Manag. 2004, 193, 113–140.
[39]
Hatton, T.; Reece, P.; Taylor, P.; McEwan, K. Does leaf water efficiency vary among eucalypts in water-limited environments? Tree Physiol. 1998, 18, 529–536, doi:10.1093/treephys/18.8-9.529.
[40]
Benyon, R.G.; Theiveyanathan, S.; Doody, T.M. Impacts of tree plantations on groundwater in south-eastern Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 2006, 54, 181–192.
[41]
Forrester, D.I.; Collopy, J.J.; Morris, J.D. Transpiration along an age series of Eucalyptus globulus plantations in southeastern australia. For. Ecol. Manag. 2010, 259, 1754–1760, doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.04.023.
[42]
Cohen, Y.; Kelliher, F.M.; Black, T.A. Determination of sap flow in douglas-fir trees using the heat pulse technique. Can. J. For. Res. 1985, 15, 422–428.
[43]
Dye, P.J.; Olbrich, B.W.; Poulter, A.G. The influence of growth rings in pinus patula on heat pulse velocity and sap flow measurement. J. Exp. Bot. 1991, 42, 867–870, doi:10.1093/jxb/42.7.867.
[44]
Jiménez, M.S.; Nadezhdina, N.; Cermak, J.; Morales, D. Radial variation in sap flow in five laurel forest tree species in tenerife, canary islands. Tree Physiol. 2000, 20, 1149–1156.
