THE RELATIONSHIP OF ANTS AND OTHER ORGANISMS TO CERTAIN SCALE INSECTS ON COFFEE IN PUERTO RICO

Abstract

1. Ninety-four percent of the roots of 21-year-old coffee trees growing in Catalina soil are found in the uppermost 12 inches of soil. 2. A well developed and heavy tree top was found to be correlated with a heavy and extensive root system, 3. The top to root ratio was 4 to 1. 4. Primary roots comprised 57.22 percent of the whole root system; secondary 25.72 percent and tertiary, 17.06 percent. 5. Primary roots were confined to the first 24 inches, secondaries to the 0-72 inch levels, while tertiary roots were found distributed throughout the 0-96 inch levels. 6. While the lateral spread of roots was over 8 feet, the penetration was slightly over 3 feet.