N and P concentration in young willow plants under flooding

Abstract

Flooding alters nutrient uptake by plants, but less is known about its effects after the stress period. The aim of this work was to analyze the effects of flooding depth on N and P concentrations and N:P ratio in leaves, stems and roots of young willows during flooding and in the post-flooding recovery period. Two commercial willow genotypes (Salix matsudana x S. alba) named Agronales (clone A) and Carapachay (clone C) were grown in pots in a greenhouse. Three treatments were applied: control (non-flooded), partial submergence (PS) and total submergence (TS). Nutrient concentration and growth were analyzed after 21 days of flooding and 28 days of post-flooding recovery. The N:P ratio was not altered by TS in either clone, and was altered by PS only in clone A. Clone C was able to maintain the N and P concentrations and N:P ratio more stable under flooding conditions than clone A. This genotypic variation opens the possibility to explore the longer-term consequences of these changes in future growth, stress tolerance and nutrient balance of willow plantations.