DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF CVA, DRIS, AND CND NORMS FOR THREE HYBRIDS OF POPULUS MAXIMOWICZII PLANTED IN SOUTHERN QUEBEC

Plantations of hybrid poplars adapted to relatively poor soils and cold conditions are being established in abandoned fields and forest sites in southern Quebec. Hybrids of Populus maximowiczii are well adapted to these sites but little is known about their nutritional requirements. The objectives of this study were to develop nutritional norms (CVA, DRIS, CND) for three of these hybrids: 915508, Populus euramericana or canadensis X Populus maximowiczii; 3729, Populus nigra X Populus maximowiczii; and 915303, Populus maximowiczii X Populus balsamifera, and to apply the norms on some sites recently planted in southern Quebec. Six plantations (two per clone) were used for the determination of nutritional norms. In each plantation, individual trees were fertilized with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) according to a factorial design with three levels of application for each nutrient (35 = 243 treatments). Tree diameter and height, unit foliar mass and foliar chemistry (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) of each tree were determined two years after fertilization. CVA, DRIS and CND norms were determined using a boundary-line approach with each plantation. Nutritional norms could be established for most combinations of clones and nutrients. CVA, DRIS and CND indices produced with published optimum nutrient concentrations for hybrid poplars closely related to P. maximowiczii were generally in agreement with the ones developed in our study. Differences in nutritional norms among P. maximowiczii hybrids/clones were small but hybrid/clone specific norms could provide more precise estimates of tree nutrition. The application of the norms on some representative sites of southern Quebec revealed more frequent nutrient imbalances than true nutrient deficiencies with generally excessive Ca and Mg, and limiting N, P, and K.