The Effect of Density of Planting on the Distribution of Arecanut Roots
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1969
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The root systems of eight-year-old arecanut palms were studied in relation to the effect of planting density on distribution of roots. From 60.9 to 66.9 per cent of all roots and from 51.3 to 55 6 per cent of fine roots were concentrated within 50 cm radius of the palm and more than 80 per cent of all roots were within 1 to 1.25 m from the trunk, though some roots extended laterally beyond 1.75 m. The maximum concentration -of from 66.3 to 79.0 per cent of all roots and from 72.2 to 76.3 per cent of fine roots was within the first 50 cm layer of the soil surface. The second layer, 51 to 100 cm deep, contained 183 to 23.3 per cent of all roots and 13.6 to 20.0 per cent of fine roots. The greatest depth of penetration of the roots was 2.6 m. Close planted palms appeared to have a greater tendency to explore the lower strata than those planted wider apart. The quantity of roots (dry weight) per unit volume of soil within the feeding zone increased with increasing plant density, whereas the calculated gross quantity of roots produced per tree decreased with increased density of planting.
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Trop. Agric. (Trinidad), Vol. 46, No. 1, January 1969