EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SILVAMIX® FERTILIZERS PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Site amelioration as well as fertiliser application is considerably underestimated in the actual Czech forestry, despite their mutual positive use potential. Besides the classic ameliorative materials, the new formed fertilisers, respecting specific needs of forest ecosystems and forestry can be used. SILVAMIX® system vith slow solution and liberation of particular nutrients as well as with its variable composition and nutrient content corresponds very well to these needs. Department of Silviculture of the Czech Agricultural University in Prague tests these materials sins spring 1997 to evaluate the use potential in forestry.
Three aspects were accepted at the testing:
- testing of the SILVAMIX? fertilisers in forest nurseries
- testing of the SILVAMIX? fertilisers on localities with more demanding species plantations,these localities being degraded by the Norway spruce cultivation
- testing of the SILVAMIX®fertilisers in the immission areas (Bohemian Forest, Jizerske hory Mts.).
Powdered SILVAMIX? MG and pelleted SILVAMIX® FORTE variants were tested, their chemical composition is documented in the follwing survey.
Fertiliser | N% | P2O5% | K2O% | MgO% | Nutr. Sum% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SIL. MG | 8.0 | 12.0 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 40.0 |
SIL. FORTE | 17.5 | 17.5 | 10.5 | 9.0 | 54.5 |
Results confirmed very good effectiveness of the SILVAMIX? fertilisers oven in the first year. In the forest nurseries the relative effect can be demonstrated as follows:
Species Variant | Oak sown 1997 % |
Pine sown 1997 % |
Spruce 1/1 autumn % |
Spruce 1/1 spring % |
Fir 1/1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Control | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
SILVAMIX | 131 | 132 | 170 | 139 | 131 |
In the next year, the increased effect of the SILVAMIX® can be expected because of its slow dissolution. As more demanding species support on plots degraded by the Norway spruce cultivation, example of the maple tree and fir reaction (height increment in the first year of young plantations) is documented in the next table:
Variant | Fir | Maple tree |
---|---|---|
Control | 100 | 100 |
S-MG | 125 | - |
S-FORTE | 128 | 106 |
Favourable effects were confirmed also in the immission areas, both on scarified (anthropogenically disturbed) as well as on intact sites. Preliminary results are available from the Jizerske hory Mts. In the first case, the pellets SILVAMIX? FORTE were used for amelioration of the Norway spruce plantation on intact forest soil of podzolic type - effects are shown in following table:
Variant | n92 H92cm |
n93 H93 cm |
n94 H94 cm |
n95 H95 cm |
N96 H96 cm |
n97 H97 cm |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
K | 135 16.3 |
134 33.2 |
134 39.0 |
125 44.0 |
125 44.0 a |
115 51.1 a |
s | 134 17.8 |
134 35.2 |
134 39.9 |
124 42.2 |
118 46.2ab |
112 53.7ab |
Note: the same letters indicate statistically homogeneous groups.
Plantation took place in the spring 1994 - former increments are from the forest nursery. SILVAMIX® application was performed in the spring 1997 - results are not yet obvious. On the contrary - on sites degraded by scarification - i.e. humus removal - beech plantation was performed few years ago, and fertiliser application 1997.
Variant | n97 | H97 cm |
---|---|---|
Control | 91 | 82.5 a |
Pellets | 102 | 87.4 ab |
Powder | 95 | 93.9 b |
On degraded sites, the SILVAMIX® fertilisers are highly effective, powdered form being more efficient. Preliminary results of the study so confirmed the positive effect of the SILVAMIX® system, consisting in the slow dissolution and high nutrient content These fertilisers are very effective in all cases studied, i.e. in forest nurseries, on sites degraded by spruce cultivation and in immission areas. Positive effects consist in the slow dissolution and are conditioned by the variable composition of particular SILVAMIX? forms. SILVAMIX® system can be considered as a system with the multiple use potential. Because of preliminary character of data obtained, study will continue in the next years.
In Prague: 1997-12-15