Responses of coppiced Eucalyptus to macro- and micronutrient application

Coppicing is a widely adopted management system for forest plantations; however, little information is available pertaining to responses to fertilizer application. Our objective was therefore to assess the effect of individual and conjunct omissions of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B, and Cu on the growth of a highly productive Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis hybrid clone, managed for coppicing at the second rotation, in two soils of contrasting fertility in southeastern Brazil. Two commercial sites of approximately 7 years of age, one in an Arenosol and the other in a Ferralsol, were harvested and the experiments installed. At the Arenosol site, the yield from the fertilizer treatment in the coppice system (R2) was the same as determined for the first rotation (high forest; R1), at approximately 40 m(3) ha(-1) year(-1) at 6 years old. In contrast, the yield from the fertilizer treatment in R2 at the Ferralsol site was 11% lower compared with R1. Despite some alterations in leaf nutrient concentrations, other than for K at the Arenosol site (where the K omission treatment reduced wood volume at 6 years by 21%), no yield reduction was found for any no-fertilizer treatments. Due to the widely distributed root system already established in coppiced plantations, ensuring a large volume of soil exploration, coppiced eucalypts only responded to K application. This is due to low soil K availability and the high K demand in eucalypt plantations.