Anhydrous biomass in seedlings of Juglans neotropica Diels, in the nursery stage

Abstract

Introduction. Juglans neotropica Diels is a neotropical native species in the Andes of South America. The natural habitat ranges from northwestern Venezuela, across Colombia, to the south of Ecuador. J. neotropica has a high market value, categorized as endangered species, yet growth parameters and biomass production are unknown. Objective. We aim to determine the anhydrous biomass in Juglans neotropics Diel’s seedlings as an indicator of the response to applying nutrient solutions based on NPK in the nursery stage. Methodology. This work was conducted in the tree nursery at the College of Natural Resources at the ESPOCH. The tree nursery is located at an elevation of 2820 m.a.s.l., in the central highlands of Ecuador. We implemented a completely randomized block design with eight nutrient combinations of NPK. We analyzed the variation of the total dry biomass per plant and per plant section with a linear mixed model in R Statistical Software. Results. There is an incident effect of the application of N on biomass. The anhydrous biomass of J. neotropica seedlings and the biometric variables evaluated in the tree nursery suggest a positive relationship that could be used as a proxy. Additionally, the plant's biomass distribution is primarily concentrated in the roots, followed by the stems and leaves. Conclusions. J. neotropica responds positively to N fertilization in the nursery stage, given that the anhydrous biomass and most early growth variables experienced greater growth yield and biomass than under the absence of nutrients.