ASHS 2024 Conference

Heat and moisture stress are increasing limitations to production of container-grown trees and growth of landscape trees, while reducing water use is an increasingly common goal. In two experiments, we investigated methods for reducing stress caused by limited water and extreme heat in container-grown tree seedlings in Aurora, Oregon. In the first experiment, we evaluated the potential for several ‘biostimulant’ or stress-tolerance inducing, soil-applied materials to improve growth of tree seedlings (Betula nigra) under limited water conditions. In the second experiment, we evaluated one of the most promising materials from that study in comparison to several other known or potential stress-reducing materials or techniques. In the first study, B. nigra seedlings were grown in pots with full water (determined by site evapotranspiration rate), one-half water, or one-half water with four different commercially available ‘biostimulant’ products that are marketed as inducing tolerance to moisture and heat stress in plants. Caliper growth, visual rating, and chlorophyll fluorescence values all showed that in the low-water groups, the plants treated with a mannitol plus calcium chelate product or a potassium phosphite product performed best and significantly better than the low-water control group. In the second experiment, over the course of two seasons we compared the effects of soil-applied potassium phosphite with other methods previously shown to reduce heat and/or drought stress. Abnormal extreme heat events, or ‘heat domes’, occurred during both growing seasons. Container-grown red maple (Acer rubrum) saplings were grown with moderate water and subjected to one of six treatments: untreated control, fresh-water misters triggered by preset ET value, kaolin foliar treatment, potassium phosphite soil application, propiconazole foliar treatment, and paclobutrazol foliar treatment. After two growing seasons, the mist treatment significantly improved growth compared to control plants while the potassium phosphite and kaolin treatments showed non-significant trends of improved growth. Based on these two studies, it is concluded that where possible, mist treatments during hot and dry conditions can improve container-grown tree seedling growth and condition, while potassium phosphite soil treatment and kaolin foliar treatments are likely to improve growth and condition in landscapes or where installation of misting apparatus is not feasible.