Survival and Growth Performance of Albizia procera: As Influenced by Fertilizers in Degraded Soil

The present investigation deals with the response of fertilizers on the survival and growth of 30 months old Albizia procera plantation raised on shallow, murrumy and gravelly soil. The height and radial growth of plant increased significantly with the application of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer singly or in combination with each other. Though, the response of phosphorus as a whole was found to be instrumental in enhancing growth of the plant, the nitrogen dose over 75g/plant applied in the form of urea adversely affected survival of the plant. Among 16 treatment combinations (four different phosphorus doses and four different nitrogen doses), the treatment combinations of 75g phosphorus and nitrogen each/plant was found to be best for survival and height of the plant. The maximum radial growth was obtained in the treatment combination receiving 75g/plant phosphorus and 50g/plant nitrogen. The Relative Economic Effectiveness (REE) due to different fertilizer treatments indicated that the REE for the best height growth was 75g/plant phosphorus and nitrogen each, whereas REE for the best radial growth was worked out under the treatment receiving 75g/plant phosphorus and 50g/plant nitrogen.