Acacia plantation in different quality sites and fertilization in Northeast Vietnam
Tran Van Do*
Silviculture Research Institute, Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam
Abstract
The impacts of site quality and fertilization on the growths of acaciaplantation have become important in plantation management. It could provide information on which site and how much fertilizer should be applied, contributing to sustainable plantation management. In this study, two sites of different conditions of soil depths (30-40 cm/shallow soil site and 70-80 cm/deep soil site) and of rock contents (< 10% and > 45%); and fertilizing 200 g NPK (16:16:8)/tree/year and control (non-fertilization) were experimented in an Acacia mangium plantation in northeast Vietnam. The plantation was established in September 2017, fertilizer was applied in Junes 2018 and 2019. Site conditions and fertilization significantly affected the growths of 2-year-old plantation. In shallow soil site, the plantation in fertilization treatment achieved 498% basal area and 595% aboveground biomass of plantation in non-fertilization treatment. The difference among control and fertilizing 200 g NPK/tree in deep soil site, and fertilizing 200 g NPK/tree in shallow soil site was not significant. It is concluded that fertilizing NPK to acacia plantation in the present study site is necessary for shallow soil site even trees become older, while in deep soil site fertilization is required only in the first year to support initial growths.
Keywords: Fertilization, Plantation growth, Shallow soil, Site condition, Soil nutrient pool
