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Root elongation in tropical Eucalyptus plantations: effect of soil water content

Élongation des racines dans les plantations tropicales d’Eucalyptus : effet du contenu en eau du sol

Annals of Forest Science volume 65, page 609 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • Sustainability of Eucalyptus plantations is often questioned in resource-limited environments, especially in areas characterized by soils with poor nutrient and water holding capacities. Yet, field-based observations of fine root dynamics in relation with the seasonality of rainfall are lacking.

  • • This study was undertaken on two Eucalyptus stands planted in the Kouilou Region (south-western Congo), which is characterized by a four-month-long dry season. Fine root (less than 2 mm in diameter) dynamics were studied using rhizotron observations of root elongation in the field.

  • • Fine root elongation rates displayed a seasonal variation in the two stands, with higher elongation rates during the rainy season than during the dry season. Positive and significant correlations were found between fine root elongation rates and soil water content at all depths, but a better correlation was found with soil water content in the deep soil horizon than in the superficial horizons.

  • • These results suggest that the temporal variations in fine root elongation were related to the seasonality of rainfall, and they were probably associated with seasonal changes in tree water status, carbon assimilation and belowground allocation.

Résumé

  • • La question de la durabilité des plantations d’Eucalyptus est souvent posée dans les environnements où les ressources sont limitées, en particulier les zones où les sols ont une faible capacité à retenir l’eau et les nutriments et où la saison sèche est longue. Pourtant, les observations in situ de la dynamique racinaire en relation avec la saisonnalité des pluies sont inexistantes.

  • • Cette étude a été réalisée dans deux plantations d’Eucalyptus de la région du Kouilou dans le sud ouest du Congo, qui est caractérisée par quatre mois de saison sèche. La dynamique des racines fines (moins de 2 mm de diamètre) a été étudiée à l’aide de rhizotrons permettant d’observer l’élongation racinaire au champ.

  • • La vitesse d’élongation des racines fines montrait une variation saisonnière dans les deux plantations, avec des vitesses plus élevées en saison des pluies qu’en saison sèche. Des corrélations positives et significatives ont été trouvées entre la vitesse d’élongation des racines fines et la teneur en eau du sol à toutes les profondeurs, mais les meilleures corrélations ont été observées avec la teneur en eau des horizons profonds.

  • • Cela suggère que les variations temporelles de l’élongation des racines fines sont reliées à la saisonnalité des précipitations, et qu’elles sont associées aux changements saisonniers d’état hydrique des arbres, d’assimilation carbonée et d’allocation vers les parties souterraines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche sur la Productivité des Plantations Industrielles, BP 1291, Pointe-Noire, Congo

    Armel Thongo M’bou, Philippe Deleporte, Yann Nouvellon & André Mabiala

  2. UPR Écosystèmes de Plantations, CIRAD, 34398, Montpellier, France

    Christophe Jourdan, Philippe Deleporte, Yann Nouvellon, Laurent Saint-André & Jean-Pierre Bouillet

  3. Faculté des Sciences, Université de Brazzaville, BP 69, Brazzaville, Congo

    Armel Thongo M’bou & Fidèle Mialoundama

  4. UMR INRA UHP 1137 Ecologie et Ecophysiologie Forestières, Faculté des Sciences, Nancy-Université - Université Henri Poincaré, BP 239, 54506, Vandoeuvre les Nancy Cedex, France

    Armel Thongo M’bou & Daniel Epron

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  1. Armel Thongo M’bou
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  2. Christophe Jourdan
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  3. Philippe Deleporte
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Correspondence to Daniel Epron.

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Thongo M’bou, A., Jourdan, C., Deleporte, P. et al. Root elongation in tropical Eucalyptus plantations: effect of soil water content. Ann. For. Sci. 65, 609 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2008038

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Annals of Forest Science

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