Propagation of Native Tree Species to Restore Subtropical Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests in SW China

Forests

Yang Lu³  Sailesh Ranjitkar⁵  Jian-Chu Xu⁵  Xiao-Kun Ou³  Ying-Zai Zhou⁶  Jian-Fang Ye⁶  Xun-Feng Wu¹  Horst Weyerhaeuser²  Jun He⁵  John MacKay⁴ 

[1] Yunnan Vocational College of Forestry, Kunming 650000, China;Mountain Societies Research Centre, University of Central Asia, Bishkek 720001, Kyrgyz Republic;Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China;;Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, ChinaKey Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China;Tengchong Gaoligong Nature Reserve Management Department, Tengchong 679100, China;

关键词: propagation;    germination;    seedling;    nursery;    subtropical;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f7010012

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBLF) is a widespread vegetation type throughout East Asia that has suffered extensive deforestation and fragmentation. Selection and successful propagation of native tree species are important for improving ecological restoration of these forests. We carried out a series of experiments to study the propagation requirements of indigenous subtropical tree species in Southwest China. Seeds of 21 tree species collected from the natural forest were materials for the experiment. This paper examines the seed germination and seedling growth performance of these species in a nursery environment. Germination percentages ranged from 41% to 96% and were ≥50% for 19 species. The median length of germination time (MLG) ranged from 24 days for Padus wilsonii to 144 days for Ilex polyneura. Fifteen species can reach the transplant size (≥15 cm in height) within 12 months of seed collection. Nursery-grown seedlings for each species were planted in degraded site. Two years after planting, the seedling survival rate was >50% in 18 species and >80% in 12 species. Based on these results, 17 species were recommended as appropriate species for nursery production in forest restoration projects. Our study contributes additional knowledge regarding the propagation techniques for various native subtropical tree species in nurseries for forest restoration.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.