The Effect of Minerals and Hormones on the Nutrients in Chinese Fir Leaves and Seed Set
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Overview of the Experimental Site
2.2. Experimental Materials and Methods
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Comparison of Nutritional Conditions of Chinese Fir Clones with Different Seed-Setting Characteristics After Cutting
3.2. Impact of Foliar Fertilization on the N, P, and K Contents of Chinese Fir Needles
- (1)
- Impact of foliar fertilization on total N in the needles of Chinese fir
- (2)
- Impact of foliar fertilization on total P in the needles of Chinese fir
- (3)
- Impact of foliar fertilization on total K in the needles of Chinese fir
3.3. Effects of Foliar Fertilization on the Ecological Stoichiometric Characteristics of C, N, and P in Chinese Fir Needles
3.4. Analysis of Foliar Fertilization on the Yield and Quality of Chinese Fir Cones
- (1)
- Effect of foliar fertilization on cone number of clones with different seed-setting types
- (2)
- Correlation analysis between the number of Chinese fir cones with different fruiting characteristics and N, P, and K.
- (3)
- Path analysis of N, P, and K content in China fir needles on cone quantity
- (4)
- Comprehensive evaluation of foliar fertilization on needle nutrition and fruiting
4. Discussion
4.1. Comparison of Nutrition Status of Chinese Fir Clones with Different Seed-Setting Characteristics After Cutting
4.2. Effects of Fertilization Treatments on the Ecological Stoichiometry Characteristics of Chinese Fir Needles
4.3. Analysis of Seed Yield and Quality of Chinese Fir Treated with Fertilizer
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- After pruning, the Chinese fir cones exhibited notable variations. In July, there were no significant differences in total N content and C:N ratio among the different seed-setting characteristics. However, the P content in the high-yield clones was markedly higher than that in the middle-yield and low-yield clones, while the K content was notably lower. This demonstrated the significance of July in cone and seed development, which required P and K supplementation. Attention to these indicators can be crucial to scientifically enhancing seed orchard yields.
- (2)
- Fertilization could be a vital strategy for enhancing the nutritional growth of Chinese fir and increasing seed yield. Strategic fertilization not only conserved costs, but also boosted yields. To elevate Chinese fir seed yield post-stem cutting and dwarfing and to mitigate on-and-off-year fluctuations, various fertilizer and hormone ratios were designed through orthogonal design. The objective was to identify the optimal fertilization scheme for different seed-setting characteristics. For the high-yield clones, four formulations such as Treatment 5, Treatment 6, Treatment 8, and Treatment 9 can be applied, which can enhance the nutrient level of branches and increase the number of cones. For the middle-yield clones, three formulations like Treatment 3, Treatment 6, and Treatment 9 can be used to improve needle nutrition and the number of cones. For the low-yield clones, applying three formulations including Treatment 3, Treatment 4, and Treatment 5 can increase the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents by 18.54%, 36.57%, and 26.56%, respectively, and increase the number of cones by 82. Therefore, during fertilization, tailored formulas should be employed according to the specific seed-setting characteristics of Chinese fir and management objectives to effectively enhance yield.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Treatments | N (mg/L) | P (mg/L) | K (mg/L) | GA3 (mg/L) |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 (N0P2K2GA3 2) | 10,000 | 1300 | 2000 | 100 |
T2 (N0P2K3GA3 1) | 10,000 | 1300 | 2500 | 50 |
T3 (N0P2K1GA3 3) | 10,000 | 1300 | 1500 | 150 |
T4 (N0P1K2GA3 3) | 10,000 | 800 | 2000 | 150 |
T5 (N0P3K2GA3 1) | 10,000 | 1800 | 2000 | 50 |
T6 (N0P3K1GA3 2) | 10,000 | 1800 | 1500 | 100 |
T7 (N0P3K3GA3 3) | 10,000 | 1800 | 2500 | 150 |
T8 (N0P1K3GA3 2) | 10,000 | 800 | 2500 | 100 |
T9 (N0P1K1GA3 1) | 10,000 | 800 | 1500 | 50 |
CK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Treatments | Comprehensive Score | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fertilization Treatment in 2021 | Fertilization Treatment in 2022 | |||||
High-Yield Clone | Middle-Yield Clone | Low-Yield Clone | High-Yield Clone | Middle-Yield Clone | Low-Yield Clone | |
T1 | 0.2483 | 0.2306 | 0.2875 | 0.2597 | 0.2272 | 0.2609 |
T2 | 0.2812 | 0.2446 | 0.2866 | 0.2544 | 0.2804 | 0.2598 |
T3 | 0.2777 | 0.2967 | 0.2975 | 0.2409 | 0.2305 | 0.2599 |
T4 | 0.2841 | 0.2488 | 0.2192 | 0.4315 | 0.2608 | 0.2885 |
T5 | 0.2901 | 0.2608 | 0.2667 | 0.2098 | 0.2670 | 0.2779 |
T6 | 0.2866 | 0.2012 | 0.2879 | 0.2469 | 0.2617 | 0.2600 |
T7 | 0.2421 | 0.2492 | 0.2076 | 0.1552 | 0.2804 | 0.1746 |
T8 | 0.2838 | 0.2198 | 0.2914 | 0.4627 | 0.296 | 0.2598 |
T9 | 0.2842 | 0.2539 | 0.2826 | 0.1610 | 0.2849 | 0.2629 |
CK | 0.2757 | 0.2760 | 0.2339 | 0.0753 | 0.2721 | 0.0772 |
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Duan, Y.; Zhao, L.; Ye, D.; Zhou, J. The Effect of Minerals and Hormones on the Nutrients in Chinese Fir Leaves and Seed Set. Plants 2025, 14, 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060887
Duan Y, Zhao L, Ye D, Zhou J. The Effect of Minerals and Hormones on the Nutrients in Chinese Fir Leaves and Seed Set. Plants. 2025; 14(6):887. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060887
Chicago/Turabian StyleDuan, Yu, Linying Zhao, Daiquan Ye, and Jian Zhou. 2025. "The Effect of Minerals and Hormones on the Nutrients in Chinese Fir Leaves and Seed Set" Plants 14, no. 6: 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060887
APA StyleDuan, Y., Zhao, L., Ye, D., & Zhou, J. (2025). The Effect of Minerals and Hormones on the Nutrients in Chinese Fir Leaves and Seed Set. Plants, 14(6), 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060887