Influence of mechanized site preparation on survival of seedlings
2004
Yamada, T. (Forestry and Forest Products Research Inst., Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)) | Endo, T. | Sasaki, T.
We are on the way of developing site preparation equipment to further mechanize planting operations. As preliminary work for the development, we studied the characteristics of various site preparation methods. We prepared test site using vehicle based machines to make patched spots by mounding and scarification. We classified test plots to 4 categories, which are mound, pit from mounded spot, scarification and untreated. For each category we measured soil density, moisture content and its change, survival rate of planted containerized Hinoki {Chamaecyparis obtusa) seedlings and vegetation coverage 1 year after treatment. The results of soil density in order are scarified < untreated near equal mound < pit, those of moisture content are pit > untreated > scarified > mound, those of survival rate are pit > scarified near equal untreated > mound and those of vegetation coverage are scarified < pit near equal mound near equal untreated. In reference to soil density and plant coverage (which is more suitable when it is smaller for seedling growth), scarification was found to be most favorable for planting. However in this test the limiting factor is found to be moisture content due to dry site environment, which caused pit plots to have the highest seedling survival rate.
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