Does fertilization hardening improve the morphometric and physiological characteristics of Pinus rudis Endl. seedlings?

Introduction: Forest management is necessary for forest conservation and the security of natural assets and people; however, forest management can have negative effects on some soil properties. Objective: To determine whether forest management in a Mediterranean forest basin, consisting of Quercus suber L. and Pinus halepensis Mill., causes increased runoff and eroded material at slope level.  Materials and methods: Seven land-use units were selected: a) dense forest (no management); b) recently managed cork oak forest, c) recently managed pine forest; d) cork oak forest with two years of management, e) pine forest with two years of management, f) bare terrain with herbaceous vegetation and (g) a forest road. In each area, four rainfall simulations were carried out from a height of 2 m, at a pressure of 1.7 kg·cm-2, equivalent to a rainfall intensity of 60 mm·h-1. An ANOVA was performed and significant differences were verified (post-hoc Tukey test, P < 0.05).  Results and discussion: Ten months after the hardening process, the seedlings had a root collar diameter of 4.8 to 5.5 mm, aerial dry weight of 4.2 to 4.4 g and root dry weight of 1.1 to 1.2 g. The doses of P, K and FS did not affect the morphometry of the plant, but did affect the concentration of nutrients. Vector analysis detected luxury nutrient consumption in the order P > N > K. The highest nutrient contents were achieved with SF at a level of 100 % above the basic dose (4-25-35). Conclusion: There is no difference in the generation of runoff and erosion in the managed areas, both pine and cork oak, compared to dense or unmanaged forest.