Height growth, shoot elongation and branch development of young Quercus petraea grown under different levels of resource availability

Two-year-old sessile oaks were grown under various levels of resource availability in a semi-controlled conditions experiment. After 2 years, the growth and the branching of the seedlings were assessed. A large number of seedlings showed an important development of lateral branches and sprout shoots growing from the root collar. Mortality of the apical bud, changes in the allocation of shoot elongation between several shoots and changes in dominance occurred frequently. Higher resource availability increased annual shoot elongation by increasing the number of growth flushes produced in the growing season as well as the number and the length of the internodes produced in each flush. Resource availability also had a negative effect on the form of the seedling, those grown under high resource availability showing more changes in dominance.