A study conducted by researchers from UPM and the UAH suggests that foliar fertilization could be used as a tool in order to produce plants for high quality reforestation.
Various nitrogen sources were tested in this study in order to fertilize pine leaves and oak leaves instead of using the traditional fertilization which is based on the nitrogen absorption through the root. After assessing the efficiency of leaf nitrogen uptake of the two studied species, the researcher team from Universidad de Alcalá and Politécnica de Madrid concluded that this fertilization system can be an efficient tool to complement radical fertilization regimes in order to improve plant nurseries and to plantations in nutrient-poor soils or arid conditions.
Foliar feeding is used in agriculture to rapidly and precisely control the nutrition of plants. This technique has not been tested in the forestry area, but its application for nursery production can provide solutions to improve plant quality produced for afforestation.