GROWTH AND YIELD FUNCTIONS FOR <em>DALBERGIA</em> <em>SISSOO</em> PLANTATIONS IN THE HOT DESERT OF INDIA GROWN UNDER IRRIGATED CONDITIONS

Abstract

Dalbergia sissoo forms a major portion of irrigated plantations in the hot desert  of  India.  For effective management of these  plantations growth and yield  functions  are essential. This paper describes and reports the development of top height, diameter and volume growth functions based on analysis of data collected from  permanent sample plots laid out at the study area. Some base-age variant and invariant site-index  models were applied to the data set and compared for relative accuracy. Base-age invariant models produced better results. Based on fit statistics, the  C•oelz—Burk model was selected for developing a top height model/site index equation to generate site information. The Chapman— Richards, Gompertz and Schumacher models were used for developing diameter—age and volume yield—age functions for stands of D. SISSOO of known stand density and site class. Among the three models tried,  the Gompertz function was found most suitable for the  prediction of diameter and volume growth in D. sissoo plantations at the  study