Articles containing the keyword 'needle biomass'

Crown characteristics and the distribution of three years’ (1986–88) biomass production of 20 pendulous Norway spruce (Picea abies f. pendula (Lawson) Sylvén) trees with heritable narrow crown and 15 normal-growned spruces (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) were studied in a 19-year-old mixed stand.

The form of the crown is conical in normal-crowned trees, columnar and narrow in pendulous trees. The partitioning of aboveground biomass to stems during the studied 3-year period was significantly higher in pendulous (0.281) than in normal-crowned trees (0.255) and also the ratio between growth of stemwood and growth of needle biomass during three years was higher in pendulous trees (0.67 g g^-1) than in normal-crowned trees (0.52 g g^-1). The needle biomass was distributed higher in the crown in pendula than in normal-crowned trees and they had a higher needle biomass/branchwood biomass ratio than normal trees. The difference in harvest increment between the two crown types are mostly due to the significantly lower branchwood biomass values in pendulous than in normal-crowned trees. The higher needle ’efficiency’ in pendulous trees is probably connected with high partitioning of needle biomass to the upper part of the crown in pendulous trees.

The PDF includes an abstract in Finnish.

• Pulkkinen, E-mail: pp@mm.unknown

The needle area distribution and crown structure of a young planted Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stand are described. The crown structure and crown shape showed apparent regularity in crown structure regardless of stand dynamics. Similarly, the shoot structure and individual needle area showed regularity in the number of needles per branch and shoot length unit, and consequent phytoarea density inside the needle cylinder. Also, the shoot area and needle area distributions were found to show a regular distribution of needle biomass throughout the crown, also inside the crown, in the dominant trees. In the suppressed trees the needle biomass was located in the upper crown and on the surface area of the crown. Estimates of the canopy needle area and distributions are given. The results were applied in calculations of the within-stand light regime. The results correlated well with the empirical results.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown
• Oker-Blom, E-mail: po@mm.unknown

The proportions of needle and wood in current-year shoots in crown systems of young Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees was studied. The proportion of needles out of the total shoot biomass increased according to the increasing number of the whorl counted from the apex. In the lower part of the crown system the needle biomass of newly-formed shoots was 50–60 fold compared to that of wood and bark biomass. In the upper part of the crown system the same ratio was 1–2. The variation in ratio between needle and wood biomass was whorl-specific and independent of tree class. The magnitude of the ratio was not related to the position of the tree in the stand nor to the prevailing light conditions within the state.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Mäkelä, E-mail: am@mm.unknown
• Hari, E-mail: ph@mm.unknown
• Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown

The technique of double normalizing, i.e. normalizing the relative needle biomass and the length of the living crown system, is applied to the modelling of the distribution of needle biomass in the canopy of young Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands. The study based on the parameters of β-function shows that at the individual-tree level, the variance in needle distribution was not closely associated with any tree characteristics. A shift in the point of maximum needle biomass upwards unsuppressed trees was, however, evident. This was associated with an increase in the height of the trees. At the stand level, the stand mean height and stand density had an equal and a rather high potential for explaining the variance in the needle distribution. The normalized crowns are utilized in models for determining light extinction in the crown. A special technique for determining the amount of photosynthates available for growth in a particular tree is presented.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown
• Hari, E-mail: ph@mm.unknown
• Ilonen, E-mail: pi@mm.unknown
• Kanninen, E-mail: mk@mm.unknown

The concept of tree class as indicated by dominant, codominant, intermediate and suppressed trees is analysed using empirical material representing 13 younger Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands. The relative needle biomass, i.e. the needle biomass related to the maximum needle biomass in the stand, was closely related to the relative height of the tree and independent of the stand characteristics. Furthermore, the relative illumination of the crown system was related to the relative height of the trees as well as the relative photosynthetic capacity and tree-to-tree variation in growth. When calculated per needle biomass unit it appeared that height growth, radial growth, needle growth and other growth parameters were the highest in the suppressed trees. The suppressed trees thus appear to be more efficient in utilizing available resources than other tree classes. The ecologic significance of the results is discussed.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

• Kellomäki, E-mail: sk@mm.unknown
• Hari, E-mail: ph@mm.unknown

• Långström, SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890 E-mail: bo.langstrom@entom.slu.se
• Hellqvist, SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890 E-mail: ch@nn.se
• Cedervind, SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890 E-mail: jc@nn.se