Effects of Different Covering Treatments on the Growth of Direct-Seeding Seedlings on Slope Land

Experiments were carried out by investigating and analyzing the survival rate, preservation rate and seedling height growth of direct-seeding seedlings of four native tree species, Liquidambar formosana, Schima superba, Pinus massoniana and Paliurus ramosissimus,under 3 treatments, sawdust mulching, straw mulching and no mulching (control). The results showed that the seedlings treated by mulching were slightly higher than the control groups in average survival rate, average preservation rate and seedling height growth. The survival rates of L. formosana, P. massoniana and Paliurus ramosissimus were significantly higher than those of Schima superba, while the preservation rate of L. formosana, P. massoniana and S. superba were only slightly higher than those of Schima superba. For 1-year-old and 2-year-old seedlings the height growths of L. formosana and P. massoniana were significantly higher than those of Schima superba and Paliurus ramosissimus, which indicateed that L. formosana and P. massoniana were more suitable to grow on steep slopes than Schima superba and Paliurus ramosissimus.