Restoring South African subtropical succulent thicket using Portulacaria afra: root growth of cuttings differs depending on the harvest site during a drought.

ABSTRACT: The restoration of succulent thicket (the semi-arid components of the Albany Subtropical Thicket biome endemic to South Africa) has largely focused on the reintroduction of Portulacaria afra L. Jacq-a leaf- and stem-succulent shrub-through the planting of unrooted cuttings directly into field sites. However, there has been inconsistent establishment and survival rates, with low rates potentially due to a range of factors (e.g., post-planting drought, frost or herbivory), including the poor condition of source material used. Here we test the effect of parent-plant and harvesting site on the root development of P. afra cuttings in a common garden experiment. Ten sites were selected along a ∼110 km transect, with cuttings harvested from five parent-plants per site. Leaf m

SUBMITTER: Potts AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11216190 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature