Abstract:

In order to investigate effects of environmental factors on R. pseudocacia growth and find out the important influencing factors, we obtained data of growth of R. pseudocacia at three soil water conditions, such as favorable, medium drought and serious drought soil water condition, which hold about 70%-80%, 50%-60% and 30%-40% of field water capacity, respectively. The data was analyzed using Integrated path analysis. The results showed that environmental factors had significant integrated positive correlation with the physiological indicators of R. pseudocacia. With the increases of temperature，light and soil effective supplying water, R. pseudocacia grew vigorously. The environmental factors influence the net increase in weight of branches positively, and physiology positively, but it is not obviously. Soil effective supplying water, temperature, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency (WUE) were important indicators. The various results obtained using the path analysis were very consistent with each other, and basically in agreement with reality. Therefore, the conclusion can be drawn: the environmental factors had significant impacts on the physiology changes of R. pseudocacia. The physiology changes of R. pseudocacia had significant impacts on the net weight of branches. The environmental factors changes of R. pseudocacia had little impact on the net weight of branches. The vector path analysis method is scientific and rational, and has to a certain degree innovation and practicality and is worthy to study and spread.

Key words: path analysis method, environmental factors, Robinia pseudocacia, correlation