Copper Deficiency in Pine Plantations in the Georgia Coastal Plain

Copper deficiencies have been observed on several intensively managed pine plantations in the Georgia Coastal Plain. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) displayed plagiotropic growth within a year after planting on very acid, sandy soils. Typically, symptoms show up during the summer after transplanting. The needles on severely affected seedlings are thin and flaccid. After the roots reach greater depths, a branch or stem regains apical dominance, and the seedling usually recovers. Although many trees achieve a normal appearance, some stems remain twisted. Three tests were conducted in Pierce County, GA, to determine if the addition of copper (36 kg per ha of copper sulfate) or dolomitic lime (6.7 metric tons per ha) would ameliorate the problem on a Mascotte soil. The treatments were useful in maintaining the vigor of newly planted pine seedlings. Both the copper and lime treatments affected growth of the newly planted, as well as older, symptomatic seedlings. Both treatments were more efficacious when applied as a prophylac- tic treatment (before planting) than as a curative treatment (after symptoms develop). The lime treatment increased the population of herbaceous weeds.