FLORISTIC COMPOSITION AND SOIL CHARACTERISTICS OF PLANTATION FOREST IN NORTHWEST SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN JORGE CAMPUS

Year 2018, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 24 - 35, 15.06.2018

Lilibeth Perocho Jessie Sabıjon Reynaldo Aquıno

Abstract

The study was
conducted to assess the floristic composition and the soil characteristics in a
plantation forest of NwSSU San Jorge Campus. Descriptive statistics was
utilized to treat the data collected for vegetation and soil characteristics.
Pearson’s correlation was utilized to test the interrelationship between the
soil and vegetation in the study area. Results showed that the floristic
composition in the study site has starting to resemble that of the secondary
forest. Floristic diversity is also comparable to the diversity of secondary
forest. Diversity and evenness distribution though cannot be associated with
the physiographic locations as the results have shown more diverse vegetation in
a potentially erodible soil of the mid-slope than that of the upper and lower
slope. Life forms in the plantation forests are mostly trees and shrubs. Soil
physical properties indicated that the surface layers of the profiles contain
considerable amount of humic materials which had caused the darker hues of the
soil. Soil pH is considered to be in the tolerable range for crop production.
Basically, the soil in the plantation forest is sandy clay loam. Organic matter
is high in the lower slope than in the upper and mid-slope which was attributed
to the continuous deposition and accumulation of organic materials. Nitrogen
availability is relatively considered low to moderate for plant growth across
all the physiographic locations. Phosphorus (P) on the other hand was found to
be the limiting nutrient in the site, wherein the amount present is considered
below the required amount for crop production. Upper and lower slope had higher
potassium (K) content than the mid-slope. Results of the correlation analysis showed
that there is high correlation between the soil organic matter and tree size.
This indicates that the higher soil organic matter the bigger is the tree size.

Keywords

Floristic composition, soil characteristics

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