Selecting Appropriate Seedling Age for Restoration Using Comparative Analysis of Physiological Characteristics by Age in Abies koreana Wilson

• Published in: Journal of forest and environmental science Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 315 - 322
• Main Authors: Seo, Han-Na, Chae, Seung-Beom, Lim, Hyo-In, Han, Sim-Hee, Lee, Kiwoong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: chlorophyll fluorescence; Fv/Fm; Abies koreana Wilson; photosynthetic capacity; light response curve
• ISSN: 2288-9744; 2288-9752

The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity to environmental stress, and changes in the photosynthesis capacity in Abies koreana seedlings by age and to suggest the most effective age for restoration. To identify these physiological characteristics of A. koreana, the chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic capacity of 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 6-year-old A. koreana seedlings were observed from June 2020 to June 2021. The maximum quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), a chlorophyll fluorescence measurement parameter, was strongly positively correlated with the monthly average temperature (1-year-old seedling: r=0.8779, 2-year-old seedling: r=0.8605, 3-year-old seedling: r=0.8697, 5-year-old seedlings: r=0.8085, and 6-year-old seedlings: r=0.8316). The Fv/Fm values were the lowest in winter (November 2020-March 2021). In addition, the Fv/Fm values of 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old seedlings in winter were lower than that of 5- and 6-year-old seedlings, while the Fv/Fm values in summer were relatively higher than those in winter. Further, the Fv/Fm values of seedlings of all ages decreased in August 2020, when the monthly average temperature was the highest. In particular, 1-year-old to 3-year-old seedlings showed Fv/Fm values less than 0.8. Further, the photosynthetic capacity measured in August 2020 increased with increasing seedling age. The analysis of variance results for summer Fv/Fm values showed significant differences in age-specific averages (p<0.05), and Duncan's multiple range test showed significant differences between 5- and 6-year-old seedlings and 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old seedlings (p<0.05). These results suggested that the 5- and 6-year-old seedlings were less sensitive to environmental stress and showed better photosynthetic capacity than the 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old seedlings. Therefore, 5-year-old or older A. koreana seedlings can be used as restoration materials because they can show increased adaptability and stable growth during transplantation due to their relatively high environmental resistance and photosynthetic capacity.