Field performance of ten clones and two sizes of planting stock of Populus deltoides on the Indo-gangetic plains of India

• Published in: New forests Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 115 - 122
• Main Authors: Sidhu, D. S, Dhillon, G. P. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Kluwer Academic Publishers 01-09-2007; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: diameter; Height; Height and volume; Initial size; Loam soils; Planting; Poplar; Populus deltoides; Rooted dormant cutting; Sandy loam; Sandy soils
• ISSN: 0169-4286; 1573-5095
• DOI: 10.1007/s11056-007-9042-y

A study was conducted from 1996 to 2001 on well drained sandy loam soils in the central plain region of Punjab to determine the effect of initial size of planting stock and clones of poplar (Populus deltoides) on their height, diameter and volume growth. Two categories of planting stock viz. large size (height >4.7 m and collar diameter >4.2 cm) and small size (height 2.5-4.3 m and collar diameter 2.5-4.0 cm) of ten poplar clones were used for the experiment using a completely randomized design with single tree plots and ten replications. The large sized stock attained significantly greater diameter and volume growth at all ages than those of small size, whereas, the superiority of the former in plant height was only up to 3 years of age. The respective differences for diameter and volume between the stock sizes decreased from 11.7 and 27.96% at 3 years to 4.9 and 11.42% at 5 years of age. Significant differences were observed among clones for all the growth parameters. Clones G-48, 3167, WSL-31 and WSL-38 exhibited the highest growth.