Initial growth performance of Shola species under enrichment plantation in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Aim: Enrichment planting of native tree species is an important program to restore the biodiversity and ecological functioning of degraded vegetation and shola forest in particular. The success of enrichment planting depends on suitability of site specific shola species, which is limited for large scale afforestation and restoration programmes of sensitive ecosystems. With this background, an evaluation study was carried out to understand the performance of fifty two different afforested native species of shola at different sites in the Nilgiris district. Methodology: The data on survival and growth characteristics are studied through enumeration technique from different altitude and aspect of the afforested Shola forest. Results: The study revealed that the survival rate of different afforested species varied between 27 and 100 % with an average survival rate of 77.43%. The species Syzygium cuminii, Syzygium gardneri, Elaeagnus oblongus, Evodia lunu-ankinda, Ligustrum perottettii and Michelia champaca showed higher survival rate and better growth attributes than other planted species. Elaeagnus oblongus, Evodia lunuankenda, Ligustrum perottettii and Michelia champaca performed better at higher elevation (above >1000 m). Among different aspect, South-Western aspect was suitable for planting number of species. Interpretation: The differential growth performances of planted species were due to the differential silviculture requirement and adaptability mechanism of species to local site conditions. Hence, afforestation should be carried out in keeping the silviculture requirement of the species. The study revealed that site condition such as elevation, aspect and species silviculture characteristics are important factors influencing the performance of the Shola species.