Abstract

A study was carried out on ravinous land consisting of eroded slopes, to compare the growth of transplants and directly sown plants of Acacia nilotica var. cupressiformis. The trees were four years old and were of same seed origin. Five trees were selected for each category, and were dug out along with their whole root system. The trees were measured for diameter and height growth, shoot-root ratio, spread of root system, etc. The results indicate that performance of directly sown plants was better than transplants in terms of height and diameter growth and shoot-root ratio. It can be concluded that under rainfed conditions, where the site conditions are harsh, directly sown plants perform better than the transplants provided the species is matched to the site.

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