Effects of Site Burning on Multiple Leader Formation and Growth Performance of Selected Acacia Genotypes

Loss of apical dominance, resulting in seedlings with more than one leader, generally referred to as multiple leaders (ML), has been a major problem in forest tree plantation in the tropics. A study to examine the effects of site preparation by burning on growth performance and multiple leaders (ML) formation, and its variation in eight-genotypes of Acacia mangium and Acacia auriculiformis was conducted. The design used for this field trial is a randomized complete block design with four replications at two sites (burnt and unburned) and eight genotypes (four from each species), and the effects were monitored for 24 months. There were significant differences at P A. mangium provenances were more responsive to burning than A. auriculiformis, whereas at the unburned site, the variation between them was not significant. Based on the above variation, it can be concluded that burning causes ML formation and can affect the growth of these selected Acacia genotypes.