Growth performance of the Teak's (Tectona grandis Linn.f) different planting stocks

Abstract

The growth of plantation is dependent on a complex series of interactions between genetics and environmental factors, and the planting stocks including planting methods. For the successful establishment of a plantation, the economically effective means should be explored, as teak plantation is being established in Myanmar especially for commercial purposes including forest rehabilitation purposes. This study was conducted in the 12 years old Teak plantation that was established in compartment No. 24 of Ngalaik Reserved Forest and managed by Forest Research Institute. This plantation was established with different planting stocks; tissue culture seedling, shoot cutting seedling, potted seedling, fresh stump seedling, and grafted seedling in 2008. The main objective of this trial is to explore the growth performance of Teak plantation by applying the different planting stocks. Randomized completely block design (RCBD) was used with 5 replications (5 blocks). In one block, there are 5 plots in which totally of 49 trees were planted in each sub-plot with 2.7 m by 2.7 m spacing. There was a total of 1,225 planted trees in this trial. As a preliminary step, in 2019 through the measurement data, the total basal area of trial area (0.92 ha) is 16.46 m² (17.89 m² ha^-1), the total volume is 96.47 m³ (104.86 m³ ha^-1) [here calculated cone factor = 0.359822 is used], and mean annual increment (MAI) is 9.53 m³ ha^-1yr ^-1. Among the different planting stocks, the potted seedling plant was significantly better in growth as compared to those of other planting stocks, nonetheless, survival percentages among them were not significant. Now, we conduct this follow-up study to explore the growth performance of this 12 years old teak plantation of different planting stocks. We expect this study’s findings will be supported the useful and applicable information for the commercial plantation program to raising environmentally friendly and economically successful teak plantations.

Keywords: Sustainable forest management, Deforestation and forest degradation, Research

ID: 3485372