EFFECTS OF WATERING AFTER LIFTING AND EXPOSURE BEFORE PLANTING ON PLANT-QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE IN ORIENTAL SPRUCE

Four-year-old transplants of Oriental spruce (Picea orientalis (L) Lin k) were lifted on 28 March 1990, 30 March 1990 and 2 April 1990 during the postdormancy phase. Some of them were then watered immediately, a nd all of the seedlings, watered and unwatered, were kept in moist con ditions within cloth sacks. A part of the watered transplants were pla nted immediately, whereas the others were planted after 60 min exposur e. However, the unwatered transplants were subjected to drought on the ground for 0, 15, 30 and 60 min. Plants with 60 min exposure were wat ered before planting only. After treatments, shoot water potentials we re measured using the pressure chamber technique. Best water potential , survival and growth were obtained from transplants watered after lif ting. In these seedlings, exposure particularly stimulated root growth . With unwatered transplants, however, both water potential and relati ve increment of height or dry weight declined significantly as exposur e time prolonged, but survival and rate of terminal shoots reduced onl y slightly.