Influence of plantation age and density on Cornel-Tree yields

Argir Zhivondov, Neli Keranova and Svetla Pandova

Abstract: The present work studies the influence of plantation age and density on cornel-tree yields from a tree and per decar. The analyzed period ranges from five to eighty years, and the plantation density is between 45 and 159 trees per decare. The theoretical data are processed by a combination of mathematical approaches. A correlation analysis is applied to determine the extent and direction of the impact of age and density on the yield. The proven dependencies are represented by linear regression models. The number of trees has a significant, negative effect on the yield from a tree (R = - 0.678 **). The plantation age has a moderate, positive impact both on the yield from a tree (R = 0.397 **) and on the yield per decare (R = 0.436 **). As a result of the analyzes it was found that in case of shorter-term cultivation the plantation should consist of a larger number of trees, which at an earlier stage increase their productivity. However, if planning is longer, optimal yields will be achieved with fewer trees over a period of at least 20-25 years.

Keywords: Cornus mas L.; correlation analysis; regression models; yield

Date published: 2021-02-25