English

Sanjay Kumar

doi:10.5897/ajps12.084

Abstract

  This paper reports on the shoot diameter and shoot elongation of common 10 trees and 9 shrubs species of 6 natural forests occurring between 350 to 2500 m in Kumaun Himalaya. The findings indicated that over 90% shoot elongation was accomplished prior to the commencement of rainy season in a majority of species. The average values of diameter increment were similar for canopy and subcanopy species and it was markedly higher for open grown deciduous species. In shrubs, it was higher for deciduous species. The relationship between the shoot length and shoot diameter in all species was positive and significant.   Key words: Kumaun Himalaya, shoot length, shoot diameter.

Highlights

Competitive advantages and limitation of plant growth under different environmental conditions are still poorly understood
Shoot elongation began with the increase of temperature and photoperiod with the exception of P. cerasoides which began to produce new shoots in November when both temperature and photoperiod were declining
The amount of shoot elongation ranged between 8.45 cm in M. esculenta to 44.21 cm in B. variegata

Summary

Introduction

Competitive advantages and limitation of plant growth under different environmental conditions are still poorly understood. The amount of growth and its seasonal variation caused by environ-mental factors have been mostly studied for temperate trees (Zimmerman and Brown, 1974; Reed, 1980; Pietarinen et al, 1982; Zobel, 1983). Temperature is the most important of the environmental factors regulating phenophases and the whole annual cycle of the plant (Hari, 1972; Anderson, 1974; Reader, 1975; Zobel, 1983). Information on shoot growth of tropical and subtropical trees is scanty. The tree and shoot growth have been mostly studied for Eastern and Kumaun Himalaya (Boojh and Ramakrishnan, 1982a, b; Ralhan, 1985; Negi, 1989)

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Conclusion