Establishment regimes for radiata pine on Yellow-Brown Earths in Southland

Examines site preparation strategies for plantation establishment and describes an analysis of five years growth in two factorial experiments. Three factors are included : cultivation, fertilisation, and weed control. Cultivation significantly improved both height and diameter growth, and treatments involving discs had higher rates of survival and faster growing trees than those involving only a ripper. Cultivation also significantly improved crop uniformity. Results suggested that drainage of the topsoil was the most important improvement brought about by cultivation. Weed control improved height growth by 0.3m. Fertilisation without weed control decreased survival by 10%. Weed control increased the incidence of multiboling from 18% to 30%. Plantation managers are advised to consider cultivation with ripper tines and discs followed by spot weed control as site amelioration treatments on Yellow-Brown Earths in Southland and Otago. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.