title: Influence of nitrogen and phosphorous on the growth and root morphology of Acer mono.
abstract: Nitrogen and phosphorous are critical determinants of plant growth and productivity, and both plant growth and root morphology are important parameters for evaluating the effects of supplied nutrients. Previous work has shown that the growth of Acer mono seedlings is retarded under nursery conditions; we applied different levels of N (0, 5, 10, and 15 g plant-1) and P (0, 4, 6 and 8 g plant-1) fertilizer to investigate the effects of fertilization on the growth and root morphology of four-year-old seedlings in the field. Our results indicated that both N and P application significantly affected plant height, root collar diameter, chlorophyll content, and root morphology. Among the nutrient levels, 10 g N and 8 g P were found to yield maximum growth, and the maximum values of plant height, root collar diameter, chlorophyll content, and root morphology were obtained when 10 g N and 8 g P were used together. Therefore, the present study demonstrates that optimum levels of N and P can be used to improve seedling health and growth during the nursery period.
authors.affiliation: School of Forestry, Northeast Forest University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2003-1467
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Razaq
authors.affiliation: School of Forestry, Northeast Forest University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Forestry, Northeast Forest University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Long
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: School of Forestry, Northeast Forest University, Harbin, China.|Agricultural Research Institute, Mingora, Pakistan.
authors.lastname: Salahuddin
mesh_terms: D031002:Acer / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D005308:Fertilizers; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D012987:Soil; D002734:Chlorophyll; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen