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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Host influence on survival and growth of two sandalwood species during early development
Forest Ecology and Management, Vol.599, pp.1-15
2026
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
The sandalwoods (Santalum spp.) are root hemiparasites that depend on host plants for growth. Research on sandalwood–host interactions is limited, although it is widely acknowledged that sandalwood species may respond differentially to host plants. This study examined the influence of six different host species on the survival and growth of Santalum album L. and Santalum lanceolatum R. Br. in a pot-based experiment conducted over a 21-month period. It represents the first evaluation of S. lanceolatum–host interactions under controlled conditions and the first direct comparison of host preferences between sandalwood species. Host presence significantly improved survival in both sandalwood species, regardless of host identity, although S. lanceolatum showed an earlier and stronger dependence on host associations for survival and growth. While both sandalwood species shared similar overall growth patterns, they exhibited morphological and physiological differences in response to varying hosts. Growth of S. album and S. lanceolatum responded similarly to most hosts, but Dalbergia latifolia promoted significantly greater growth in S. lanceolatum than in S. album, indicating that sandalwood–host pairings represent unique species-specific interactions. The identity of a suitable host significantly influenced sandalwood growth, highlighting the importance of selecting optimal host–sandalwood combinations to enhance both sandalwood performance and host compatibility.
Details
- Title
- Host influence on survival and growth of two sandalwood species during early development
- Authors
- Duc Bui (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research InstituteDavid J. Bush - Australian Tree Seed CentreKenneth J. RobsonD.J. Lee - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research Institute
- Publication details
- Forest Ecology and Management, Vol.599, pp.1-15
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123265
- ISSN
- 1872-7042; 0378-1127
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Grant note
- The corresponding author was supported by a Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) International Scholarship from UniSC for his Doctor of Philosophy program. This study was conducted as part of experiment number 27.A SWD, funded by Qintis, with matching funding from IEA Bioenergy Task 43 project.
- Organisation Unit
- Forest Industries Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991182741402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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