Dominant height curves and site index in Prosopis alba plantations

Abstract

Dominant height curves and site index were defined and validated, which allowed inferring the qualities of the forest site of the white carob tree and characterizing the most influential site factors on the growth of the species in the irrigated area in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Based on the Gompertz model, an average function was adjusted for the dominant height- age by the guide curve method, from which the family of curves was derived by the principle of constant proportionality. The trend shows that the growth in height culminates close to 20 years. A first approximation in the estimation of the productive capacity of the sites for Prosopis alba Griseb. is expressed from the family of anamorphic curves at the base age of 15 years that describe three qualities: I (high), II (medium) and III (low). In relation to site factors, the chemical properties evaluated in soils were decisive in growth, negatively conditioned by electrical conductivity and other characteristic parameters of salinity conditions. The validation process determined an error between 5 and 10%.