Fine root electrolyte leakage and moisture content: Indices of Sitka spruce and Douglas-fir seedling performance after desiccation

In spring 1992, 2-year-old bare-rooted seedlings of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) France) were exposed for 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 3 h in a controlled environment room at 20 degrees C. Plants were desiccated in batches during February and March; 100 seedlings of each species were planted in 5 20-plant plots at each of 6 planting sites using the normal planting times and methods of each area. The effect of exposure was assessed within 24 h of desiccation on a subsample of plants by measuring fine root moisture content and electrolyte leakage and, in a limited number of cases, needle water potential. These measures were related to survival and growth after the first and second growing seasons. There were significant interactions between the effect of desiccation and site. The measurements following desiccation were significantly related to survival and growth on some but not all sites; in general, the effect of condition was more pronounced on sites with low spring rainfall than on sites with greater than 100 mm rainfall per month during the spring of planting. Root electrolyte leakage was significantly related to performance in slightly more cases than needle water potential or root moisture content.