Growth Responses of Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell Plantations in South Sumatra to Macronutrient Fertilisers Following Several Rotations of Acacia mangium Willd.

Abstract

Eucalyptus pellita has rapidly emerged as the species that has replaced Acacia mangium in broad-scale commercial plantations in Indonesia following widespread losses due to disease and in soils that have suffered a steady decline in phosphorus (P) under plantation forestry. Conversion from a nitrogen (N)-fixing to a non-N fixing species is expected to change the nutrient dynamics and the management required to maximise productivity. In this study in South Sumatra, responses of E. pellita to the application of N, P, potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) fertilisers were assessed at a number of trials on sites with varying site history; A. mangium was planted at one site to compare the species' responses to N and P. The growth of E. pellita responded significantly (p < 0.01) to P's application but not to N, K or Ca, with the addition of P increasing the stem volume by 32.6 m 3 ha −1 at 3 years of age compared with no addition of P fertiliser; the demand for P in the first two years of growth was, respectively, 4.8 and 6.8 kg ha −1 . This positive and large response appears to be because E. pellita has a lower efficiency in its use of P than A. mangium and is, therefore, more responsive than A. mangium to the addition of P. The reason for the lack of response to N remains unclear, although demand for N as well as K and Ca was high. These results suggest that sites recently converted to E. pellita from A. mangium and also new ex-native forest sites will be likely to only respond to P addition and that the response of E. pellita is likely to be greater than for A. mangium to maximise yield. At present, additional N, Ca or K fertilisers are not required, but this may change in the future.

Interaction of Fertilization and Weed Control Influences on Growth, Biomass, and Carbon in Eucalyptus Hybrid (E. pellita × E. brassiana)

“…Compared to another eucalyptus species developed in a similar site, the eucalyptus hybrid response to fertilization was relatively lower. A study initiated by Inail et al (2019) in E. pellita documented that at two years, the application of -1 fertilization using 133 kg ha of triple superphosphate (TSP46%, P2O5) significantly enhance stand volume around 70% higher than trees with no fertilization. In contrast, our study only recorded productivity gain in the eucalyptus hybrid volume by around 45.8%.…”

“…The study site has soil conditions with dominant ultisols. This soil type has a high clay content of more than 50% (Inail et al, 2019). It is relatively different from other studies about fertilization and weed control in eucalyptus plantation, commonly conducted in sandy soil like Brazil, India, and Australia (Stone & Birk, 2001;Pillai et al, 2013;Carrero et al, 2018).…”

“…In this context, we adopted the form factor of on this site since the specific form factor of E. pellita eucalyptus hybrid was still not available. A similar assumption was also used to estimate the biomass using allometric equations from on this site (Table 3) E. pellita (Inail et al, 2019). The biomass was predicted on the aboveground condition, in every eucalyptus hybrid component, including stem, bark, branches, and leaves.…”

Early Growth of 11 Native and Three Alien Tree Species in Northeastern Mindanao, Philippines

“…Decades ago, the Philippines was one of the major exporters of logs of native trees from natural stands [1]. However, as with many other Asian countries, it lost its forest cover rapidly through heavy logging, upland migration, and agricultural expansion [2][3][4]. As a result, the country faces timber shortages and relies on imports to meet a large proportion of its demand [5].…”

Age and Species of Eucalyptus Plantations Affect Soil Microbial Biomass and Enzymatic Activities

“…In addition to being fast-growing, the two species have deep root systems to better tolerate poor soil conditions [ 31 ]. Another popular afforestation species is E. pellita , but little is known about its adaptation [ 32 ]. Information on the response of soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity to different eucalyptus species and planting ages is also limited.…”