Vol. 11, Special Issue 3 (2022)

Author(s):
MP Divya, I Arul Gnana Mathuram, K Baranidharan, R Ravi, S Manivasakan and M Packialakshmi

Abstract:
This experiment was carried out in one to five years old Eucalyptus plantations located at Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, Kakithapuram, Tamil Nadu. To study the growth and biomass potential of Eucalyptus plantation of different ages viz., from one year to five years. The main objective was to elucidate the above and below ground biomass of Eucalyptus plantations of different ages. The analysis on growth characteristics revealed that the tree height, girth at breast height and diameter at breast height, the tree productivity in term of volume of standing and felled trees of Eucalyptus (1 to 5 years) depicted an exponential growth with an increase in age of trees. The mean tree height in different ages of Eucalyptus was ranged from 6.00 m to 15.50 m. The above ground biomass of Eucalyptus trees viz., stem, branch and leaf and the below ground biomass component viz., root increased with an increase in age of trees. The stem fresh weight of individual tree ranged from 7.60 kg tree^-1 to 46.99 kg tree^-1 and the total fresh weight varies from 16.88 t ha^-1 to 104.41 t ha^-1 in one year and five years old trees. The increase in total biomass of different components contributed to a gradual increase in total biomass with an increase of age. In the current study above ground biomass contributed in 73.62% and below ground biomass contributed in 26.37% to the total biomass of Eucalyptus plantation. In this study, we concluded that there was a significant increase in growth and biomass of trees as the age increases. This exponential increase in incremental growth and biomass due to age would occur up to certain age and slow growth in current annual increment.