Field grown Acacia Mangium: how intensive is root growth


Citation

Wan Rasidah Kadir, . and Azizol Abdul Kadir, . and Van Cleemput O ., . and Zaharah Abdul Rahman, . Field grown Acacia Mangium: how intensive is root growth. pp. 283-291. ISSN 0128-1283

Abstract

Under rainfed conditions root development of trees can be very unpredictable and variable depending on the amount and distribution of rainfall received. This becomes more critical when the rainfall is seasonal and the soil has a high clay content. Our investigation dealt with the root development of Acacia mangium established as plantation forest on a soil with heavy clay texture in Kemasul Forest Reserve Malaysia. The distribution of active roots was measured at 9- and 21- month-old plantations using the radioactive P injection method. Growth at different distances from the tree base and at different soil depths was studied. After nine months of field planting we found that roots were mostly concentrated at the surface within 1000 mm distance from the tree base. At one year after the first measurement roots were traced as far as 6400 mm away. A large part of these roots however were detected within 3700 mm distance in the upper 300 mm soil. At this stage roots can still did not go deeper than 450 mm depth probably due to the high clay content at lower depth and low pH. This rapid root growth indicates that below-ground cpmpetition can be very intense if this species is established as a mixed-species plantation.


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Abstract

Under rainfed conditions root development of trees can be very unpredictable and variable depending on the amount and distribution of rainfall received. This becomes more critical when the rainfall is seasonal and the soil has a high clay content. Our investigation dealt with the root development of Acacia mangium established as plantation forest on a soil with heavy clay texture in Kemasul Forest Reserve Malaysia. The distribution of active roots was measured at 9- and 21- month-old plantations using the radioactive P injection method. Growth at different distances from the tree base and at different soil depths was studied. After nine months of field planting we found that roots were mostly concentrated at the surface within 1000 mm distance from the tree base. At one year after the first measurement roots were traced as far as 6400 mm away. A large part of these roots however were detected within 3700 mm distance in the upper 300 mm soil. At this stage roots can still did not go deeper than 450 mm depth probably due to the high clay content at lower depth and low pH. This rapid root growth indicates that below-ground cpmpetition can be very intense if this species is established as a mixed-species plantation.

Additional Metadata

[error in script]
Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Summaries (En Ms)
AGROVOC Term: ACACIA MANGIUM
AGROVOC Term: ROOTS
AGROVOC Term: ROOT TREATMENT
AGROVOC Term: RADIATION
AGROVOC Term: PH
AGROVOC Term: MALAYSIA ACACIA MANGIUM
AGROVOC Term: RAICES
AGROVOC Term: TRATAMIENTO DE LA RAIZ
AGROVOC Term: RADIACION
AGROVOC Term: PH
Depositing User: Ms. Norfaezah Khomsan
Last Modified: 24 Apr 2025 05:52
URI: http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17766

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