Abstract

Competing land use pattern has necessitated planting of useful forest trees on marginal lands with varying water status. A study was conducted on the effect of watering regimes and water quantity on seedlings growth of P. nitida. Seedlings were raised from seeds, transplanted in polythene bags and subjected to watering at full capacity daily, once in 3 days, 5 days; 20 ml daily, 3 days, 5 days; 15 ml daily, 3 days, 5 days; 10 ml daily, 3 days, 5 days; and flooding. The growth traits assessed were plant height, collar diameter, number of leaves; shoot, root and leaf dry weights as well as leaf area. The effect of watering regime and water quantity were significant (P ? 0.05) on quantitative morphological parameters of seedlings. Total dry weight and root dry weight were lower in both water-stressed and waterlogging than well-watered conditions, but the lowest values were obtained under flooding. However, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area ratio (LAR) were higher in water-stressed conditions than well-watered conditions. Relative growth rate of seedlings is related more to the net assimilation rate values than LAR and SLA. Also, root/shoot ratio was highest under daily full capacity watering. Thus, daily watering at full capacity with water availability or 15-20 ml of water per seedling during scarcity is recommended for raising P. nitida seedlings.

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