Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ANALYSIS OF SUPER CYCLONIC BREAKING STRESS ON WIND BREAKER PLANTATIONS OF CASUARINA EQUISETTIFOLIA FOUND IN AND AROUND A COASTAL MICROCLIMATIC ZONE OF ORISSA

Narasingh Prasad Padhi and Pallabi Padhi

Abstract

In present investigation the measurement of GBH was adopted to analyse the super cyclonic breaking stress on plant/plantations of Casuarina equisettifolia.The plants belonging to lower GBH class (up to 60 cm) showed CI, C2 and C3 category of breaking. However, the plants of higher GBH class showed only C3 type of breaking. Out of total population, almost 73.91% (C, = 30.674%, + C3 = 22.690% + C3 = 20.548%) of plants showed breaking within 60 GBH class. Beyond 60 GBH class the C3 category of breaking accounted to be 26.071%.The increase in GBH class indicated the decreasing trend of breaking percentage of C1 and C. category and increasing trend of breaking percentage in C3 category.Within double BH range the magnitude of breaking was found to be highest in 10-30, moderate in 30-50 and least in 50-70 GBH classes. So also beyond the double BH range the magnitude of C3 category of breaking was found to be highest in 50-70, moderate in 30-50 and lowest in 10-30 GBH classes.The 50-70 GBH range might be beahaving as the critical range of the population where the breaking behaviour of plants has changed from three categories of breaking (C1, C2 and C3) to one category (C3). In C1 category of breaking, upto 40 GBH class there was no change in breaking point was observed. However, through the regression lines it was derived that in Ci category of breaking (upto 60-70) GBH class) the optimal breaking point moved around I 05cm. The plants of C2 category as observed upto 40 GBH class showed the significant decreasing trend in LSH and the significant increasing trend in USH.Although these trends indicated both the tendencies of downward and upward breaking, but the significant increase of USH/LSH ratio values with increase in GBH class finally indicated that the upward breaking was very much favored than the downward breaking.The downward breaking trend might be supporting the Ci category of breaking. The inter-parametric ratio calculated between the C, and C, category showed to be 2.1136. So also the intraparametric ratio values calculated separately for C, and C2 category found to be almost same i.e. I .504.All these indicated that the plants of higher GBH have shown erratic behavior towards super cyclonic breaking stress. However, the plants of lower GBH have maintained certain degree of regularity in breaking process.