Comparative Growth Behaviour and Leaf Nutrient Status of Native Trees Planted on Mine Spoil With and Without Nutrient Amendment

The effect of nutrient amendment on growth of nine indigenoustree species planted on coal mine spoil was studied. Greatergrowth in fertilized plots was accompanied by greater foliarN and P concentrations in all species. The response to fertilizationvaried among species and was greater in non-leguminous thanin leguminous species. Furthermore, leguminous species exhibitedhigher growth rates compared to non-leguminous species. Thelog-transformed height-diameter relationships were significantfor all tree species and treatments. Acacia catechu, Dalbergiasissoo, Gmelina arborea and Azadirachta indica fitted the elasticsimilarity model of tree growth; whereas Pongamia pinnata andPhyllanthus emblica followed the constant stress model. Tectonagrandis was the only species which fitted the geometric similaritymodel. In Albizia lebbeck and Terminalia bellirica, the b -values(the gradients of the log-transformed height to diameter relationships)were considerably lower (<0.5), and these two species didnot fit any model of tree growth. In several cases, the b -valueswere considerably influenced by nutrient amendment. The log-transformedcrown mass and trunk mass relationships were significant forall treatments and species. The slope of the crown mass:trunkmass relationship was near unity in A. indica, D. sissoo, G.arborea, P. emblica, P. pinnata, T. grandis, and T. bellirica.However, in A. catechu and A. lebbeck, this slope was well belowunity suggesting a greater allocation to non-photosynthetictissue. Fertilizer amendment resulted in a heavier crown relativeto trunk in A. indica, T. grandis and T. bellirica. Copyright2001 Annals of Botany Company Diameter increment, fertilizer application, foliar N, foliar P, height increment, tree growth, volume increment