Determining the Influence of Nutrition and Temperature on the Growth and Development of Camassia Spp

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Determining the Influence of Nutrition and Temperature on the Growth and Development of Camassia Spp AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Matthew Davis for the degree of Master of Science in Sustainable Forest Management presented on May 29, 2018. Title: Determining the Influence of Nutrition and Temperature on the Growth and Development of Camassia spp. Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Anthony S. Davis As a key historic component of prairies in the Pacific Northwest, Camassia spp. should play a role in the restoration of these ecosystems. To do so effectively, further study of Camassia spp. propagation is warranted. Thus, the growth, N uptake and allocation, and seasonal thermoperiodicity of Camassia spp. was examined. Camassia leichtlinii was found to grow and take up N in the spring following a cubic function. Nitrogen was allocated to the leaves and roots prior to the leaves reaching their mature size, and to the daughter bulb thereafter. These results suggest that the most efficient fertilization program may be to deliver N at a rate that follows a Gaussian function. Increasing soil N availability with spring fertilizer applications had only a small impact on the growth of C. leichtlinii, however it had a large impact on the N concentration and content of its leaves, roots, and daughter bulb. This suggests that Camassia spp. are luxury consumers of N. Increasing the duration of chilling applied to quiescent bulbs resulted in an increased probability of leaf emergence, decreased time between the cessation of chilling and leaf emergence, and faster leaf growth after leaf emergence for the species C. leichtlinii, C. quamash, and Toxicoscordion venenosum. Increasing the duration of the summer rest period (prior to applying chilling) resulted in increased a) daughter bulb and root dry weight at the cessation of chilling, b) growth rate of the leaves, and c) length of the leaves at leaf maturity. These results show that all three species respond to seasonal thermoperiodicity, and thus temperature manipulation may be a useful tool in their propagation. ©Copyright by Matthew Davis May 29, 2018 All Rights Reserved Determining the Influence of Nutrition and Temperature on the Growth and Development of Camassia spp. by Matthew Davis A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Presented May 29, 2018 Commencement June 2019 Master of Science thesis of Matthew Davis presented on May 29, 2018. APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Sustainable Forest Management Head of the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Matthew Davis, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who helped me in this work. To my committee members Dr. Anthony S. Davis, Dr. R. Kasten Dumroese, Dr. David Myrold, and Dr. Jeffrey Stone, thank you for your guidance, time, and support. To my lab mates, Christina St. John, Kaitlin Gerber, Rebecca Sheridan, and Carson Alberg, thank you for all the times you watered and fertilized my plants and for doing the camas dance. To the staff and board at the Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center, especially Bridget McNasser, Talinna Appling, Molly Simonson, Danica Maloney, Chris Taylor, Jessica Price, Tom Alberg, and Judi Beck, thank you for providing the camas that was used in these experiments, helping to transplant it, patiently hosting me, muffins, and especially for funding this work. To the staff at Oregon State University, especially Dr. Amy Ross- Davis, Kristin Kasschau, Brett Morrissette, Ariel Muldoon, Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, Dr. Barbara Lachenbruch, Madison Dudley, Chelsea Durling, Nadine Wade, Shannon Andrews, and Gloria Ambrowiak, thank you for lending me your time, facilities, and expertise. To the staff at the Pitkin Forest Nursery, especially Dr. Andrew Nelson, Don Regan, Lori Mackey, and Thomas McDonough, thank you for providing me with camas for the chilling experiment, inviting me to present to the Intermountain Container Seedling Growers Association, and for helping to acquaint me with the facilities. To the staff at University of Idaho, especially Dr. Dorah Mtui, Phil Anderson, and Brenda Haener, thank you for lending me your time, facilities, and expertise. To the staff at the Rocky Mountain Research Station, especially Dr. Jeremiah Pinto and Charles Eckman, thank you for hosting and advising me. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Romuald Afatchao of University of Idaho, Dan Johnson of Advanced Environmental Services, Mike Ridling of Seven Oaks Nursery, Rich Haard of Fourth Corner Nursery, Dr. Jonathan Bakker of University of Washington, and Katy Matthews of Nez Perce National Historic Park. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends, you all mean so much to me. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Prairie Restoration in the Pacific Northwest ....................................................................1 The Biology of Camassia spp. .........................................................................................2 Phylogeny .....................................................................................................................2 Anatomy .......................................................................................................................5 Annual Replacement Cycle ..........................................................................................8 The Cultural and Ecological Significance of Camassia spp. .........................................12 Cultural Significance ..................................................................................................12 Nutrition .....................................................................................................................13 Ecological Significance ..............................................................................................15 The Propagation of Camassia spp. .................................................................................15 Seed Collection, Cleaning, and Storage .....................................................................15 Seed Stratification and Germination ..........................................................................16 Irrigation .....................................................................................................................17 Soil, Artificial Media, and Fertilizer ..........................................................................18 Leaf Senescence .........................................................................................................18 Annual Growth Cycles ...............................................................................................18 The Dutch Method for Camassia Propagation ...........................................................19 Indigenous Methods of Management .........................................................................20 Improving the Propagation of Camassia spp. ................................................................21 Chapter 2: The Growth and N Use of C. leichtlinii ...........................................................22 Experiment 1: Investigations into Alternative Fertilizer Application Practices and the Growth and C and N Dynamics of C. leichtlinii ............................................................23 Introduction ................................................................................................................23 Methods ......................................................................................................................26 Results ........................................................................................................................33 Discussion...................................................................................................................39 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Experiment 2: Investigations into the N Uptake and Allocation of C. leichtlinii ..........43 Introduction ................................................................................................................43 Methods ......................................................................................................................46 Results ........................................................................................................................51 Discussion...................................................................................................................60 Chapter 3: Seasonal Thermoperiodicity and Bulb-forcing ................................................64 Introduction ................................................................................................................64 Methods ......................................................................................................................69 Chilling .......................................................................................................................69 Heat.............................................................................................................................71 Data Analysis..............................................................................................................77 Chilling .......................................................................................................................77
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