Abstract
Poplar plantations established on agricultural or forest land can be adversely affected by abundant competing vegetation already present or that grows after planting. In this paper, we investigate how different intensities of manual vegetation control and mulching with polypropylene plastic effect poplar growth during the first two years after planting. Field data revealed that, during the first year, mulching with polypropylene plastic increased seedling growth more than manual vegetation control when performed over the same area. However, during the second year, these differences diminished and poplar seedlings continued to grow at the same rate irrespective of vegetation control. The difference in growth between treatments seems to be related to the fact that mulching positively influences water and nutrient availability to a greater extent that manual vegetation control during the early phase of establishment. Vegetation control also affected biomass allocation, with a relative increase in leaf biomass and decrease in stem biomass. The increase in leaf biomass associated with vegetation control was a result of both an increase in leaf number and increased leaf size.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
In year one, plastic mulch increased seedling growth more than manual control over the same area.
- Treatment
- mulching with polypropylene plastice0
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- during the first yeare0
- Comparator
- manual vegetation controle0
PopulusOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“during the first year, mulching with polypropylene plastic increased seedling growth more than manual vegetation control when performed over the same area”
Claim · model-written summary
In year two, growth rate was the same across vegetation control treatments.
- Treatment
- vegetation controle0
- Outcome
- grow at the same ratee0
- Direction
- same ratee0
- Qualifier
- during the second yeare0
- Comparator
- irrespective of vegetation controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“during the second year, these differences diminished and poplar seedlings continued to grow at the same rate irrespective of vegetation control”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulching appeared to improve water and nutrient availability more than manual control during early establishment.
- Treatment
- mulchinge0
- Outcome
- water and nutrient availabilitye0
- Direction
- positively influencese0
- Qualifier
- during the early phase of establishmente0
- Comparator
- manual vegetation controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“mulching positively influences water and nutrient availability to a greater extent that manual vegetation control during the early phase of establishment”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetation control increased relative leaf biomass.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“Vegetation control also affected biomass allocation, with a relative increase in leaf biomass and decrease in stem biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetation control decreased relative stem biomass.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“Vegetation control also affected biomass allocation, with a relative increase in leaf biomass and decrease in stem biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetation control increased leaf number.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“The increase in leaf biomass associated with vegetation control was a result of both an increase in leaf number and increased leaf size.”
Claim · model-written summary
Vegetation control increased leaf size.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“hybrid poplars”
e0“The increase in leaf biomass associated with vegetation control was a result of both an increase in leaf number and increased leaf size.”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · growth · Populus (poplar)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.