Nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing woody host influences on the growth of the root hemi-parasite Santalum album L.

The growth responses of S. album grown with nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing woody hosts as single plant pairings in large nursery containers were compared over time at Kununurra, Western Australia. S. album growth was greater, and the root:shoot ratio lower, when it was attached to three nitrogen-fixing woody hosts (Sesbania Formosa, Acacia trachycarpa, and A. ampliceps) compared with both unattached S. album seedlings and S. album grown with Eucalyptus camaldulensis. S. album shoot dry-weight increment per unit dry-weight of host shoot was greatest when attached to S. formosa. The growth of parasitised hosts was lower than that of unparasitised hosts. For Santa/urn, host quality is the single most important silvicultural component influencing early growth. Therefore, heartwood yield may be dependent on host species associated with Santalum