Abstract
The use of accurate cutting age in vegetative propagation is a key element in improving plant performance. To investigate the effect of physiological age on Cordia africana, branch cuttings from 1-3-, 8-10- and ≥15-year-old trees were grown under open-field conditions for two months. The cuttings were monitored for flushing and growth. The number of days to flushing was lowest for the 8-10-year-old and highest for the ≥15-year-old age class. Rooted cuttings from the 8-10-year-old trees had higher values of height, stem volume, number of leaves, and leaf width than counterparts from the other two age classes, where there were no significant differences between each other for these parameters. Moreover, the differences in stem volume and number of leaves between the youngest and oldest age classes were not statistically significant. Relative growth rates of height, diameter, and stem volume were unresponsive to physiological age. The findings of this study suggest that 8-10-year-old trees could be the most suitable donors of vegetative propagation material for C. africana. It is, however, important that rooting of the cuttings be evaluated to determine if the age-related trends in shoot growth can be sustained. Key words: Cordia africana, cutting, growth, ortet, physiological age, vegetative propagation.
Highlights
Both stand- and tree-level factors may contribute to age-related declines in forest productivity (Day et al, 2001), those operating at the scale of individual trees are likely to play a major role (MartínezVilalta et al, 2007)
According to the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), height, stem volume, and number of leaves were affected by ortet age (Table 1)
Neither stem diameter nor the relative growth rates of height, diameter, and stem volume showed any significant responses to age under the ANOVA (Table 1 and Figure 1B)
Summary
Both stand- and tree-level factors may contribute to age-related declines in forest productivity (Day et al, 2001), those operating at the scale of individual trees are likely to play a major role (MartínezVilalta et al, 2007). The alterations associated with the adult habit are due to stable changes in the apical meristem called maturation (Thomas, 2013), while superimposed on these are the effects of tree size and complexity (Matsushita et al, 2015). Maturation in woody plants is an ongoing process that results in developmental changes involving lower growth potential (Sweet, 1973), change in type of foliage, changed branching patterns (Poethig, 2013), diminished apical dominance, and reduced regenerative competence (Greenwood, 2000).
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