Effects of simulated winter browsing and drought on growth of Quercus robur L. seedlings during establishment

The response to simulated winter browsing and a period of drought was studied on 2-year-old Quercus robur L. seedlings in an experiment in a daylight climate chamber. The seedlings were planted in May and subjected to treatments. The experiment had a factorial design with two treatment factors, clipping and watering, each with two levels, clipping or no clipping and well-watered or droughted. In September, the seedlings were harvested and separated into leaves, new shoots, old shoots and root, which were weighed and measured. No significant interactions were found between clipping and watering. The watering treatment had a larger effect on seedling growth than the clipping treatment. Clipped seedlings had about the same leaf and shoot growth as unclipped ones. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.