Effect of fertilization and mycorrhizal inoculation in the nursery on post-transplant growth and physiology in three ornamental woody species

Two-year-old Tilia cordata, Acer campestre and Quercus robur were inoculated, or not, with species specific mycorrhizal fungi and fertilized yearly with either 3 or 1 kg m-3 of a controlled release fertilizer. Plants were grown for 2 years in 3-L containers, and then were planted in a loam soil without any additional fertilization and irrigation. Mycorrhizal colonization was increased by inoculation, and little affected by fertilization. Plants growing in the nursery at the lower fertilization dose were smaller than those receiving the higher dose, and inoculation did not compensate for reduced nutrient availability. However, inoculation increased leaf gas exchange. After planting in the landscape, all inoculated plants showed lower mortality than their non-inoculated counterparts, whereas the effect of fertilization regime had a species-specific effect on survival and post-transplant growth. The higher survival of inoculated plants may be related to better leaf gas exchange performance after transplant.