Relationships of Hydrological and Soil Conditions to Red Oak Acorn Yield in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Mississippi Interior Flatwoods Regions

Author

Jonathan E. Sloan

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Ezell, Andrew W.

Committee Member

Hatten, Jeff A.

Committee Member

Kaminski, Richard M.

Date of Degree

8-17-2013

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Forestry

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Forestry

Abstract

Red oak (Quercus spp.) acorns provide food for wildlife and are propagules for regeneration of these trees. Annual yield of acorns varies temporally and site-specifically. I examined acorn yield in relation to hydrology and soils of hardwood bottomlands at five sites in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and a site in the Mississippi Interior Flatwoods Region during fall-winter 2012-2013. Acorn yield varied among sites (mean = 44.9 acorns/m2; SE = 6.7; CV = 14.9%). Duration of flooding during the growing season differed among sites which influenced soil characteristics. Acorn yield varied inversely with number of days sites were inundated during the growing season (R2 = 0.6725; P = 0.0456; n = 6) during 2012-2013. Managers should consider alleviating growing season flooding of red oaks, which may increase acorn yield and sustain red oaks and other bottomland hardwoods.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20155

Comments

hydrology||soil||waterfowl||acorn||bottomland||red oak

Recommended Citation

Sloan, Jonathan E., "Relationships of Hydrological and Soil Conditions to Red Oak Acorn Yield in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Mississippi Interior Flatwoods Regions" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 3778.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/3778