Effects of cutting and rainfall pattern on resprouting vigour and growth of Erica arborea L.

This study analyses the effects of recurrent cutting and rainfall pattern on sprout and genet growth in the resprouting shrub Erica arborea. Three different intervals between consecutive clear-cutting events were applied: 30, 5 and 2 yr. Above-ground genet biomass after 2 yr of treatment application was correlated with burl size and decreased with increasing recurrence of cutting, indicating that more than 5 yr were needed to re-establish the resprouting potential of genets. The effect of rainfall on growth was evaluated through the correlations between sprout RGR and several variables related to the rainfall pattern at different regeneration stages. The effect of the rainfall pattern on sprout RGR was dependent on the regeneration age, suggesting that water availability becomes more limiting after two years of regrowth.