Effects of cultivation method on the early growth of Pinus radiata on a low-quality site in north-eastern Tasmania

Survival and growth of Pinus radiata on a low-quality texture-contrast soil in north-eastern Tasmania were compared over a five-year period following five different cultivation treatments: no cultivation, ripping, mounding, ripping + mounding or spot cultivation. Soil penetration resistance after two years, and root abundance after 4.5 years, were also measured. After five years, there were no significant differences in survival between treatments. Ripping + mounding produced the best height growth after five years, followed by mounding, ripping, spot cultivation and lastly no cultivation. However, only mounding and ripping + mounding produced significantly greater height growth compared to no cultivation. Comparisons of plot mean basal area (m2) and volume per hectare (m3 ha-1) showed trends similar to mean height after five years, with ripping + mounding producing the highest basal area and volume. However, only the differences between ripping + mounding and no cultivation were significant. Soil penetration resistance, measured after two years, was significantly lower at depths