Data for: Concurrent impacts with harvesting on NTFP plants

Investigating the concurrent impacts of harvesting wild vegetables can
guide their sustainable management while contributing to the understanding
of such impacts on NTFP species. This study investigated leaf production,
morphological and growth responses to the concurrent impacts of drought
and leaf harvesting between two wild vegetables. A randomized greenhouse
experiment was implemented with 1,334 plants of Amaranthus sp. and 391 of
Bidens pilosa. A drought treatment was first implemented through six
levels of drought stress and a control treatment. The harvesting treatment
consisted of four harvesting levels and was implemented twice.
Measurements were recorded before the first and second harvests and at the
end of the experiment. Data were separated into two periods (after first
and second harvests) and analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance
and log-linear analysis. The results showed significant effects of drought
on both species. However, Amaranthus sp. appeared more resilient to
reduction in the daily amount of water than reduction in the frequency,
while B. pilosa was resilient under both facets of drought stress. For
Amaranthus sp., basal diameter, its growth, leaf production and survival
increased with increase in the harvesting level (with some exceptions)
after first harvest. After second harvest, there was a decrease in plant
height and leaf production. In B. pilosa, the impact was only significant
on survival and leaf production (after first harvest). The effect of the
interaction of the two drivers was significant for Amaranthus sp. but not
for B. pilosa. The results also highlighted the possible negative impact
of a prolonged high rate of harvesting on the species' performance,
especially under severe drought. Basal diameter, its growth, survival and
leaf production appeared more resilient to reduced amounts of watering in
Amaranthus sp. and under both types of drought stress for B. pilosa. This
suggests that both species could be sustained under medium drought stress.