Early and long-distance uptake by Eucalyptus grandis of N, K and Ca tracers injected down to a depth of 7 m

Eucalyptus plantations are commonly fertilized at planting to sustain high biomass production over successive rotations in nutrient-poor soils. However, the dynamics of nutrient uptake by tree roots in the early stages of stand development, depending on the lateral distance from the trees and the depth in the soil, are poorly documented. We assessed the potential uptake of N, K and Ca, from 6 to 18 months after planting, by Eucalyptus grandis trees depending on: i) the lateral distance from the tracer injection point and ii) the depth in the soil. At 6 months after planting, we injected 15NO3–, Rb+, Sr2+ and Cs+ tracers at depths of 1, 3, 5, and 7 m, respectively. Recently expanded leaves were then sampled monthly on 16 target E. grandis trees located at lateral distances ranging from 0.75 to 11.1 m from the injection points, and on 4 more distant E. grandis control trees; 15N contents (atom %) and concentrations of Rb, Cs and Sr in the leaves were determined at each sampling date, and compared to those of control trees to detect the dates of tracer uptake for each individual. A LOESS model was applied to account for the temporal trend and inter-tree variability among the control trees. Tracer uptake by a target tree was detected if the measurements exceeded the upper limit of the prediction interval (α = 0.005) generated by the model. Only the 6 target trees located within 2.0 m from the injection point took up the 15NO3– tracer. However, Rb+, Sr2+ and Cs+ tracers were taken up to lateral distances of approx. 11 m from the injection point. Tracer uptake occurred as early as 9, 7, 8 and 9 months after planting for 15NO3–, Rb+, Sr2+ and Cs+, respectively. Four trees located within 2.8 m from the injection point took up the 3 cation tracers, injected between the depths of 3 m and 7 m. All but one of the target trees took up at least one cation tracer. The potential of Eucalyptus trees to take up nutrients early, at long distance and at depth, can be promoted by silvicultural practices enhancing rapid root development after planting, as subsoiling in commercial plantations and large planting holes in smallholder plantations. Our results also suggest that fertilization could be applied only once at planting in Eucalyptus stands established on deep tropical soils, with low risks of nutrient losses by deep drainage.