A Preliminary Study on Introduction of Acer truncatum into Kunming Area

Acer truncatum trees have been broadly introduced and cultivated in Kunming area since 1999.It was showed by the investigation that the survival rate of 4 to 5 years old bare-rooted transplanted saplings reached 96.4%, and the trees grew well without much disease and insect pests.It was indicated by experiments that the best sowing time for Acer truncatum in Kunming area was by the end of February.The growth difference among seedlings from sowing was remarkable.Saplings with straight trunk and ideal shape might be cultivated by cutting the stems back to stubbles and training the sprouts from scratch.The spacing for leaf-producing cultivation of Acer truncatum in Kunming area was suggested as 1.5 m×2.0 m, which would yield higher leaf production with less investments.