RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARBOHYDRATES AND VITALITY IN URBAN TREES

Abstract

C arbohydrate content, a product of photosynthesis, varies depending on the environmental conditions and phenological stages of urban trees. Because carbohydrate partitioning is governed by source-sink relationships, carbohydrate reserves are important to face stressful conditions. Research in England and the United States has shown that the application of carbohydrates as a soil drench improves urban tree vitality; however, trunk injections should be considered as an alternative method because absorption via the soil drench method may be lower due to microbial activity in the soil. Tree vitality is determined based on different variables such as growth, carbohydrate content and chlorophyll fluorescence. This paper presents a literature review of information describing the relationship between sugars and vitality in urban trees.