SPACING, PIT SIZE AND IRRIGATION INFLUENCE EARLY GROWTH PERFORMANCES OF FOREST TREE SPECIES

This experiment is a standardisation of plantation techniques of four native, promising forestry species, namely, Dalbergia latifolia, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia bellirica and Gmelina arborea, with respect to effects of tree spacing, pit size and irrigation. The experiment was set up in a tropical mixed deciduous forest patch of Madhya Pradesh, central India. We tested three spacings (2 m × 2 m, 3 m × 3 m and 5 m × 5 m), three pit sizes (30 cm × 30 cm× 30 cm, 45 cm × 45 cm × 45 cm and 60 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm) and two moisture regimes (rainfed and irrigated). Growth data were recorded for four years, from the first year of plantation in 2013 to 2017. From the four-year growth performance, D. latifolia, T. arjuna and T. bellirica performed better in irrigated conditions, whereas G. arborea, performed well under rainfed condition. Terminalia bellirica performed best with largest pit size, i.e. 60 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm, while the other three species performed best with 45 cm × 45 cm × 45 cm pit size. In terms of tree spacing, G. arborea and D. latifolia responded best to 3 m × 3 m spacing while T. arjuna and T. bellirica performed best with 5 m × 5 m spacing.