Effects of Filtered Air and Misting Treatments on Cuticles of Red Spruce Needles on Whiteface Mountain, N.Y.

• DOI: 10.1300/j091v01n01_02
• Publication Date: 2006-01-17T15:25:10Z
• Authors: Graeme P. Berlyn; Ambrose O. Anoruo; D. R. Vann; A. H. Johnson; G. R. Strimbeck; R. L. Boyce; W. L. Silver
• Keywords: Mist; Cuticle (hair); Distilled water

Two sets of large (8-20 m tall) red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees growing on Whiteface Mountain, N.Y., were used in branch chamber experiments. In the summer 1988, treatments made four healthy and consisted of: (1) open branches (N), chambers that supplied with either: (2) ambient air (A); (3) charcoal-filtered (T); or (4) charcoalfiltered deionized water misting when forest was immersed cloud (M). Each tree had all treatments. The for second year (summer 1989) declining (NC) either mist (AA), synthetic acid (SA), distilled (DA), (5) filtered (SF), (6) (DF). Foliar properties measurcd included: microreflectivity, a measure surface wax properties; cuticle thickness; cutinized cell wall total cuticular layer thickness: mass extracted from needle samples; contact angles, wetting. addition, needles collected measured at lower higher elevations. first experiment, reflectance stomata1 antechambers treatment M statistically significantly greater than other cuticles also thicker (40% branches). A plot against elevation showed two (M T) provided environments development mimic 1989 weather cooler more moist, although declining, results similar to those 1988. However, additional resulted reduced thickness. While 1,170 were, except T, generally they still considerably thinner These suggest regional scale precipitation quality have detrimental effects Mountain.