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Plant interference and trial designs to study it in a glasshouse: a review

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Abstract

Silvicultural approaches at forest plantations with wider initial tree spacing have created potential for increased understory vegetation growth in response to increased light and greater nutrient resources. In consequence understory vegetation can fill a more important role in forest ecosystems, especially in interactions (competition or facilitation) between understorey vegetation and forests trees that might affect tree growth and nutrition. Considerable research has been carried out on plant interference. However, the experimental designs used in these studies vary from one study to another, and from species to species depending on the aims, objectives and practicalities of the studies. Thus there is no optimum design for competition experiments. This review discusses designs available in studying plant interferences in a glasshouse, particularly the effects of below-ground interaction of understorey vegetation and forest trees.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Prof Russ Tillman (Massey University), Dr Tim Payn (Centre for Sustainable Forest Management of New Zealand, Forest Research Ltd., Rotorua) and Hong Zhu, Ph.D. for their suggestions on the manuscript.

Funding

This study was financially supported by Massey University and the Centre for Sustainable Forest Management at Forest Research Institute, New Zealand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Earth Sciences Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand

    A. Arivin Rivaie

  2. Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (BPTP), Jl. H. Z. A. Pagar Alam No. 1A, Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia

    A. Arivin Rivaie

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  1. A. Arivin Rivaie
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Correspondence to A. Arivin Rivaie.

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The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding editor: Zhu Hong

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Rivaie, A.A. Plant interference and trial designs to study it in a glasshouse: a review. J. For. Res. 27, 231–237 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0190-1

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