The effect of soil copper and nickel on survival and growth of Scots pine saplings

Four-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) saplings were cultivated during a two-year-period in quartz sand treated with increasing doses of either copper sulfate or nickel sulfate or a combination of both. None of the saplings growing in copper or nickel treated sand did survive in concentrations above 150 ppm. In the Cu---Ni combination treatment all saplings died in concentrations above 15+15 ppm. Hence, the effect of copper and nickel in combination seemed to be more than additive since the lethal concentration level was clearly lower than that of copper or nickel alone.