Abstract
Plant area index (PAI) measured with a LI-COR LAI-2000 plant canopy analyser (PCA) was calibrated with leaf area index (LAI) in a young stand of Eucalyptus grandis in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Destructive sampling and allometric equations were used to estimate LAI at 2 and 3 years after planting. Significant correlations (P<0.001) were found between LAI and PAI for each age with different equations being generated for the two ages (LAI=1.0594(PAI)−0.892 at 2 years of age, and LAI=1.0393(PAI) at 3 years of age). The equations differed from those reported in other eucalypt studies, as the PCA in this study over-predicted LAI at 2 years, and slightly under-predicted at 3 years, of age. It is argued that the stage of growth influenced this calibration, as the canopy and foliar structure may have been different in the young stands, affecting the basic assumptions for the PCA. A broad conversion from PCA derived PAI to LAI may not necessarily be valid for young, short rotation eucalypt plantations.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the ICFR sponsors, to Anthony Job, Greg Fuller, and the late Thulani Ncgobo for the extensive fieldwork, to Sune Linder for advice, and to Keith Little and Colin Smith for constructive comments regarding this manuscript.
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Dovey, S.B., du Toit, B. Calibration of LAI-2000 canopy analyser with leaf area index in a young eucalypt stand. Trees 20, 273–277 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-005-0038-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-005-0038-y