## 1 Introduction
elata_ and considered that a higher plant basal diameter growth is more conducive to forming new branches and further supporting subsequent growth of _A. elata_ plants. Moreover, the apical dominance of the stem inhibits its lateral bud elongation and will reduce bud yield [16]. Moreover, there are also some studies on utilizing the root sprouting ability of _A. elata_ to conduct root cottage propagation [11; 13]. Therefore, it is an effective way to maintain the sustainable development of _A. elata_ by artificially disturbing the stem or root system of the mature plant to promote the sprout regeneration [17]. Stubble is an important technique in the cultivation and management of plants which can break the apical dominance, promote the germination of adventitious and dormant buds/new shoots on the stumps and roots, and optimize the growth [16; 18; 19]. Various factors can affect plant sprout regeneration [20; 21; 22], of which stump height and parent tree size have been widely studied all over the world due to their most important effects on the sprouting ability of trees [23; 24; 25]. Based on these previous studies, stubble height, as an easily controlled factor, has been used in the studies of rejuvenation of some valuable plant species [26; 27; 21]. However, few studies focus on the effect of plant size and the interaction between stubble height and plant size on plant rejuvenation when applying the stubble technique to artificially cultivate plants. The non-structural carbohydrates stored in the root system can support the metabolism and growth of sprouts after disturbances [28]. Based on the importance of root sprouting ability and nutrient storage, many studies have focused on root cottage propagation around the world and have found that root-cutting diameter and location (root length) and root-cutting severity and timing are the most important impact factors [29; 30; 31]. However, there are limited studies on the application of the root-cutting technique to promote the root sprout regeneration of economic plants in situ. Therefore, in this study, we took the artificially planted _A. elata_ under the forest as an example to explore the role of stubble and root cutting in the artificial cultivation of these high-value NTFP species. Two experiments were designed to verify the effects of the stubble method (plant size \(\times\) stubble height) and root-cutting method (root-cutting distance \(\times\) root-cutting ratio) on the growth and sprouting ability of _A. elata_. Here, we used a flow chart to describe the structure of this study (Figure 1). The objective of this study was to determine the optimum stubble method and root-cutting method for enhancing growth and sprouting ability of _A. elata_. To achieve our objective, we need to verify the following three hypotheses: (1) the plant and new branch growth of _A. elata_ will be affected by the interaction of plant size and stubble height, and the root sprout growth and sprouting ability will be affected by both the interaction of plant size and stubble height and the interaction of root-cutting distance and root-cutting ratio; (2) due to the elimination of apical dominance, the stubble treatment can effectively improve the plant and new branch growth and root sprouting ability of _A. elata_, and the short stubble height will be the optimum stubble height; and (3) the root-cutting treatment can efficiently promote the root sprouting ability and sprout growth of _A. elata_, and the larger root-cutting ratio and the smaller root-cutting distance will be more conducive to the formation of root sprouts. Through this study, we hope to provide some practical guidance for the sustainable management of cultivated _A. elata_ and the protection of wild _A. elata_ resources, and further contribute to provide theoretical references and technical support for domestic and foreign studies on sustainable utilization and management of NTFPs.