Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions
ABSTRACT Willows (genus Salix) are increasingly used in operational‐scale ecosystem reclamation; however, different opinions exist regarding the optimal cutting size for planting under field conditions. We compared the survival of field‐planted willow cuttings sourced from upland and lowland areas w...
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70835 |
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| author | Alan Pollock Kyle R. Grant Amanda Schoonmaker |
| author_facet | Alan Pollock Kyle R. Grant Amanda Schoonmaker |
| author_sort | Alan Pollock |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Willows (genus Salix) are increasingly used in operational‐scale ecosystem reclamation; however, different opinions exist regarding the optimal cutting size for planting under field conditions. We compared the survival of field‐planted willow cuttings sourced from upland and lowland areas with varying diameters and lengths across two growing seasons. Cuttings were grouped into 15 size classes with different diameters (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 cm) and lengths (15, 30, 50, and 100 cm) and planted in groups according to their source (upland or lowland, each area potentially reflecting a different assemblage of species) within three reclaimed industrial borrow pits east of Peace River, Alberta. We considered cuttings that displayed leaf flushing as surviving individuals. Survival probability tended to be greater for larger diameter and length cuttings sourced from lowland habitats. Cutting survival was greatly reduced in year two, especially for upland‐sourced cuttings. The greater survival in larger sizes we observed may be due to greater total carbohydrates available for leaf flushing and rooting. As we did not control for species composition, the higher survival of cuttings from low‐lying areas may result from species‐specific differences among cutting sources, reflected by compositional differences we detected among surviving individuals in year two. Our findings suggest that under field settings, cuttings with > 2.0 cm diameter by 50–100 cm length sourced from low‐lying flood‐prone areas may be optimal for willow establishment. Further studies should examine the role of species and population‐level genetics in driving the upland versus lowland differences in observed willow‐cutting survival. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-cebc1f3ff4c54cf3a0cb59dc93693a682025-01-29T05:08:41ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-01-01151n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70835Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field ConditionsAlan Pollock0Kyle R. Grant1Amanda Schoonmaker2Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Edmonton Alberta CanadaNorthern Alberta Institute of Technology Centre for Boreal Research Peace River Alberta CanadaNorthern Alberta Institute of Technology Centre for Boreal Research Peace River Alberta CanadaABSTRACT Willows (genus Salix) are increasingly used in operational‐scale ecosystem reclamation; however, different opinions exist regarding the optimal cutting size for planting under field conditions. We compared the survival of field‐planted willow cuttings sourced from upland and lowland areas with varying diameters and lengths across two growing seasons. Cuttings were grouped into 15 size classes with different diameters (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 cm) and lengths (15, 30, 50, and 100 cm) and planted in groups according to their source (upland or lowland, each area potentially reflecting a different assemblage of species) within three reclaimed industrial borrow pits east of Peace River, Alberta. We considered cuttings that displayed leaf flushing as surviving individuals. Survival probability tended to be greater for larger diameter and length cuttings sourced from lowland habitats. Cutting survival was greatly reduced in year two, especially for upland‐sourced cuttings. The greater survival in larger sizes we observed may be due to greater total carbohydrates available for leaf flushing and rooting. As we did not control for species composition, the higher survival of cuttings from low‐lying areas may result from species‐specific differences among cutting sources, reflected by compositional differences we detected among surviving individuals in year two. Our findings suggest that under field settings, cuttings with > 2.0 cm diameter by 50–100 cm length sourced from low‐lying flood‐prone areas may be optimal for willow establishment. Further studies should examine the role of species and population‐level genetics in driving the upland versus lowland differences in observed willow‐cutting survival.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70835adventitious rootingcutting sizeoutplantingpre‐emergence variationreclamationrestoration |
| spellingShingle | Alan Pollock Kyle R. Grant Amanda Schoonmaker Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions Ecology and Evolution adventitious rooting cutting size outplanting pre‐emergence variation reclamation restoration |
| title | Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions |
| title_full | Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions |
| title_short | Size Influences on the Survival of Willow Cuttings Under Operational Field Conditions |
| title_sort | size influences on the survival of willow cuttings under operational field conditions |
| topic | adventitious rooting cutting size outplanting pre‐emergence variation reclamation restoration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70835 |
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