Responses of six species of proteaceae, in containers, to controlled-release fertilizer

Sophie E. Parks, Anthony M. Haigh, A. M. Harris

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Seedlings of Adenanthos sericeus, Banksia ericifolia, Banksia hookeriana, Conospermum caeruleum, Protea cv. Masquerade, and Leucadendron cv. Sundance were grown in a soilless potting medium containing controlled-release OsmocoteÃ"šÃ‚® fertilizer (17:1.6:8.7) at eight treatment levels: 0, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75, 5.0, 6.25, 12.5, and 18.75Ã"šÃ‚ kgÃ"šÃ‚ m-3. After 6 months, shoot dry mass and the concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in recently matured leaves were determined. At the lowest rate of applied fertilizer, growth was stunted for all species. Maximum shoot dry mass was associated with a fertilizer rate of 2.0Ã"šÃ‚ kgÃ"šÃ‚ m-3 for L. cv. Sundance, 2.5Ã"šÃ‚ kgÃ"šÃ‚ m-3 for C. caeruleum and B. ericifolia, and 3.75Ã"šÃ‚ kgÃ"šÃ‚ m-3 for P. cv. Masquerade, B. hookeriana, and A. sericeus. At the highest fertilizer rate, for all species except A. sericeus, plants displayed foliar symptoms typical of fertilizer excess, and growth was reduced. A range of concentrations of N, P, and K in leaves at optimum growth was determined for each species.
    Original languageEnglish
    Number of pages11
    JournalCommunications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

    Keywords

    • Banksia
    • Proteaceae
    • fertilizers
    • nutrition
    • plants
    • soil science

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