Authors: Neil A Hipps Michael J Davies Joel M Dunn Howard Griffiths Christopher J Atkinson
Publish Date: 2014/05/17
Volume: 382, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 61-74
Abstract
Total canopy leaf areas recovered within two and three years of pruning for the canopythinned and reduced trees respectively Canopy reduction increased mean leaf size nitrogen concentration canopy leaf area density and conserved soil moisture for up to 3 years whereas canopy thinning had no effects Another experiment compared more severe canopy reduction to unpruned trees This produced a similar growth response to the previous experiment but soil moisture was conserved nearer to the trunk Analysis of 13C and 18O signals along with leaf water relations and soil moisture data suggested that lower boundary layer conductance within the canopyreduced trees restricted tree water use whereas for the canopythinned trees the opposite occurredThis work was funded via the Department of Environment and Food and Agriculture Horticulture LINK 212 with contributions from Department of Communities and Government the Highways Agency the Association of British Insurers the East Malling Trust and DeltaT Devices Ltd We thank the Building Research Establishment DeltaT Devices Ltd the Arboricultural Association and Drs Giles Biddle and Mike Fordham for their technical support and contributions We thank Dr Stephen Young for his extensive advice and the statistical analyses of the soil moisture deficit data
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