Ecophysiology of Two Liana Species Calamus Ovoideus and Coscinium Fenestratum Under Different Canopy Removal Treatments

Two liana species, Calamus ovoideus and Coscinium fenestratum, exhibit significant growth and physiological responses to varying canopy removal treatments in Pinus caribaea plantations near Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka. After eight years, both species showed greater height increments under open-canopy conditions compared to closed-canopy controls, with C. ovoideus thriving best in the three-pine-rows removal treatment and C. fenestratum showing no significant height difference across treatments but higher root collar diameter growth in canopy removal plots. Physiological studies revealed that C. ovoideus had the highest photosynthetic rate in the one-pine-removed treatment, while C. fenestratum performed best under full canopy removal. The study demonstrates that these lianas can successfully establish and grow in monoculture Pinus plantations, offering potential for agroforestry integration in Sri Lanka's lowland wet zone.

Kathriarachchi, H. S., Tennakoon, K. U., Gunatilleke, C. V. S., Gunatilleke, A. U. N., & Ashton, P. M. S. (2013). ECOPHYSIOLOGY OF TWO LIANA SPECIES Calamus ovoideus AND Coscinium fenestratum UNDER DIFFERENT CANOPY REMOVAL TREATMENTS. Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v0i0.1597