Growth Performance of Trema orientalis L. (Blume) Ulm. Seedlings in Response to Mineral Nutrient Omission

Abstract

The Philippine forest land is among the top threatened biodiversity areas in the world and one of the major causes is deforestation. In rainforestation, a reforestation approach developed by Visayas State University (VSU) where pioneer tree species are planted first to copy the natural flow of forest succession. Studies on early successional tree species are limited, especially on determining the growth performance as affected by nutrient deficiency. The study was conducted under screen house condition at the Terrestrial Ecosystems Division (TED), Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management (ITEEM), VSU, Philippines. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of nutrient omission on morphological and physiological growth of Trema orientalis L. (Blume) Ulm at seedling stage. The experimental design was randomized complete block design, with 7 treatments and 3 replications with 35 seedlings in each replication which constituted a total of 735 seedlings. The root collar increment, plant height increment, number of leaves, leaf area, dry biomass and root shoot ratio were evaluated. After six months of fertilizer application, results showed that there was an increasing influence (p≤0.01) to the root collar diameter increment, plant height increment, number of leaves and leaf area specially in -Ca treatment. The biomass production and root- shoot ratio was significantly affected (p≤0.01) in control and -N treatments. Stunted growth and reduced leaf were exhibited in seedlings planted at -N and control treatments. Furthermore, the result showed that the omission of calcium has positive effects (p≤0.01) while omitting nitrogen showed negative effects (p≤0.01) on the morphology and physiology of Trema orientalis. Therefore, the omission of macronutrients at early seedling stage of Trema orientalis growth has positively (p≤0.01) and negatively (p≤0.01) affected the growth performance of the study plant.