Everything about Girdling totally explained
Girdling, also called
ring barking or
ring-barking, is the process of completely removing a strip of
bark (consisting of Secondary Phloem tissue, cork cambium, and cork) around a
tree's outer circumference, causing its
death. Girdling occurs by deliberate human action (
forestry and
vandalism), accidentally (as in the case of new
saplings tethered to a supporting stake), or by the feeding actions of some herbivores (who feed on bark at their height). It is most commonly used as a deliberate method of clearing
forests for
agricultural purposes and by fruit farmers to yield larger fruits.
Girdling in forestry and horticulture
Like all plants, trees use two
vascular tissues for transportation of
water and nutrients: the
xylem (also known as the
wood), and the
phloem. Girdling results in the removal of the
phloem, and death occurs from the inability of the
leaves to transport
sugars (primarily
sucrose) to the
roots. In this process, the
xylem is left untouched, and the tree can usually still temporarily transport
water and minerals from the roots to the leaves until the roots die. Death occurs when the roots can no longer produce
ATP and transport nutrients upwards through the xylem.
Girdling is a slow process compared to felling and is often used only when necessary— such as removing an individual tree from an ecologically protected area without damaging surrounding growth.
Accidental girdling is also possible and some activities must be performed with care. Saplings which are tied to a supporting stake may be girdled as they grow, due to friction caused by contact with the tie. If ropes are tied frequently to a tree (for example to tether an animal or moor a boat), the friction of the rope can also lead to the removal of bark.
Girdling in agriculture
Girdling is also used as a technique to force a
fruit-bearing plant to bear larger fruit. A farmer would place a girdle at base of a large branch, and remove all but one fruit from that branch. Thus, all sugars manufactured by leaves on that branch have no sinks to go to but the one fruit, which thus grows to many times normal size.
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