Three Acacia species from Ethiopia (Acacia nubica, A. seyal and A. horrida) were tested for growth and resistance to drought during the establishment phase in glasshouse and laboratory conditions. The experiments showed that each species has different preferences for particular environmental conditions. Temperature, water availability and depth of sowing were the most important factors affecting the growth of the plants. Soil type had a similar effect on all of them, sandy and loamy conditions being preferred to clay. A. nubica and A. horrida responded positively to hot environments, although the first species required a good water supply and the second could grow under water shortages. A. seyal seemed better adapted to subhumid climate types. A high resistance to drought conditions was a common characteristic of all three species: survival after 24 days without any water under high evaporation conditions showed that all the species, particularly A. horrida, are well adapted to cope with harsh droughts.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.1994.10634314Altmetric score:
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Publication year
2022
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
survival, forests, pot experimentation, soil types, clay soils, sandy soils, loam soils, forest nurseries, sowing depth, temperature, acacia seyal
Geographic
Ethiopia
