Dalbergia sissoo is sensitive to waterlogging as compared to Bombax ceiba: A case study under controlled conditions

Abstract

The total cultivated land area of Pakistan is about 57.99 million hectares (mha). Waterlogging is a major issue that affected almost 16% (more than 1mha) of agriculture soil in Pakistan. Waterlogging is a condition in which the underground water table rises in the root zone or above the soil surface. Therefore, a controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate the tolerance of Dalbergia sissoo and Bombax ceiba to waterlogging. The growth and biomass production of Dalbergia sissoo and Bombax ceiba were examined in this study under waterlogging. The results showed that in Dalbergia sissoo all the growth (plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves) and biomass production (leaf, stem and root dry weight production) in different plant sections increased significantly under medium water logging (T₁) whereas they decreased significantly under full waterlogged conditions (T₂). In Bombax ceiba, all the growth (plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves) and biomass production (leaf, stem and root dry weight production) in different plant sections decreased significantly under medium and full waterlogged conditions. Therefore, it can be concluded that Bombax ceiba is more sensitive to waterlogging as compared to Dalbergia sissoo and can be preferred in reforestation practices on waterlogged soils.