Southern Research Station

Title: Family Differences in Aboveground Biomass Allocation in Loblolly Pine

Author: Roberts, Scott D.

Date: 2002

Source: In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pg. 72-76

Description: The proportion of tree growth allocated to stemwood is an important economic component of growth efficiency. Differences in growth efficiency between species, or between families within species, may therefore be related to how growth is proportionally allocated between the stem and other aboveground biomass components. This study examines genetically related differences in aboveground biomass allocation in loblolly pine. I destructively sampled 58 trees from seven families selected to represent differences in growth rate (fast vs. slow) and crown size (large vs. small). The 15-year-old trees were all planted on the same site at the same spacing. Relative allocation to stem, foliage, and branch wood, and the ratio of foliage biomass to total crown biomass, were examined as a function of the logarithm of DBH. Large-crowned trees, compared to small-crowned trees of similar DBH, differed significantly in percent of total aboveground biomass allocated to the stem and to branch wood. Small-crowned families generally allocated proportionally less biomass to branch wood and more to the stem across the range of tree sizes examined. Relative allocation to foliage biomass did not differ, although lower allocation to branch biomass in small-crowned trees resulted in a significantly greater ratio of foliage to total crown biomass. Comparing trees from fast- and slow-growing families, only relative allocation to foliage differed significantly, although a strong interaction between DBH and growth characteristic made interpretation of the relationship These results suggestthat families do differ in relative aboveground allocation, but differences may not be related to family differences in stemwood productivity.

Keywords: 

View and Print this Publication (178 KB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Roberts, Scott D.  2002.  Family Differences in Aboveground Biomass Allocation in Loblolly Pine.   In: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-48. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pg. 72-76