Water stress effects on growth of dipterocarpus turbinatus seedlings

Abstract

Selecting the right species for the right location is a challenge for the forestry industry in Bangladesh, given the increasing risk of extreme weather and geophysical events posed by climate change. The occurrence of prolonged drought in northern Bangladesh has highlighted the need for drought‐resistant plant varieties in this region. The present study reports growth and yield performance of Dipterocarpus turbinatus (Garjan) seedlings grown under two different soil water supply regimes: watered control (WC) and unwatered (UW) for over a period of 40 days. Seedlings were grown following assignment to WC or UW groups by a completely randomized block design. Growth was in black polythene tubes containing a 3:1 compost mixture of nursery soil and cow dung. The experiment was conducted in the nursery of Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong. Growth and yield of D. turbinatus declined in the water‐limited condition along with the reduction of shoot water content. A strong relationship between soil moisture content and shoot water content was evident. Total plant mass production also declined in the absence of water due to the significant reduction in stem elongation and leaf expansion, which eventually influenced root, stem and leaf mass production. UW seedlings displayed marked recovery in stem elongation and leaf expansion with simultaneous influence in total mass and root mass, within a few days of re‐watering. The results indicate the potential of D. turbinatus as a drought‐resistant tree species.