Effect of two forest grasses differing in their growth dynamics on the water relations and the growth of Quercus petraea seedlings

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Abstract
Interference between 1-year-old sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Mattus.) Liebl.) seedlings and two grass species (Agrostis stolonifera L. and Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv.) was evaluated during 3 years after seedling transplantation. The seedlings were grown in large containers under crossed levels of watering regimes (regular irrigation that maintained the soil at field capacity or seasonal water stress) and grass competition (with Agrostis, Deschampsia, or bare soil). After 3 years, seedling basal diameter was 2.5 times greater in the absence of competing vegetation than with one of the two grasses. Within the grass-competition treatments, diameter was 1.3 times as great for the seedlings grown in the irrigated treatments than for the seedlings grown in the water-stressed treatments and was 1.3 times greater for the seedlings grown with Agrostis than for the seedlings grown with Deschampsia. During the first 2 years, the seedlings grew much faster in the bare soil than in the weedy treatments, whatever the watering level. During the 3rd year, the seedlings in all the irrigated treatments showed similar relative growth rate values, which were much higher than those in the water-stressed treatments. Each year, soil water potential reached −2.5 MPa under the two grasses and −0.7 MPa under bare soil by the end of summer. On the contrary, competition for nutrients seemed to be low. Assessments of plant carbon isotope composition showed that the seedlings in the weedy water-stressed treatments had higher intrinsic water-use efficiency, and also suggested that the competition exerted by the two grasses occurred mainly for water. We conclude that during the first 2 years, the negative effects of the two grass species on seedling growth seemed to be largely independent of any competition for water. Conversely, during the 3rd year, the influence of the grasses on the seedlings seemed to be related only to competition for water. Keywords: root interactions, water stress, osmotic adjustment, carbon isotope discrimination, classical growth analysis.