Original scientific paper
PHENOLOGICAL VARIABILITY OF EUROPEAN BEECH (Fagus sylvatica L.) IN THE INTERNATIONAL PROVENANCE TRIAL
Dalibor BALLIAN
orcid.org/0000-0002-0090-6617
; Šumarski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Bosna i Hercegovina
Benjamin JUKIĆ
; Šumarski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Bosna i Hercegovina
Besim BALIĆ
; Šumarski fakultet Univerziteta u Sarajevu, Bosna i Hercegovina
Davorin KAJBA
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Šumarski fakultet
Georg von WÜEHLISCH
; Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries (vTI), Grosshandorf, Germany
Abstract
Common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is the most important species of forest trees in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This research provides the results of investigation into the phenological variability of 22 common beech provenances in the international trial near Kakanj (Bosnia and Herzegovina), both for the properties of autumn coloration and winter leaf retention. The experiment included eight provenances from Bosnia and Herzegovina, four from Germany, three from Serbia, two from Croatia, Romania and Switzerland each and one from Hungary. The experiment was established in a randomized block system with three repetitions.
The goal of this research was to establish whether there were differences in variability between the investigated provenances and what features would be important for future management and regeneration of beech forests, as well as for increased production and adaptability.
Based on the investigated phenological properties, statistically significant variability was found between all the studied provenances. The established differences included the beginning, duration and end of particular phenophases. There are considerable statistically significant differences in flushing among the studied provenances. Provenances from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina flush earlier than foreign provenances. April the 10th can be considered as the beginning of common beech vegetation in this international trial, because this is the date on which bud opening occurred in twelve out of 22 provenances.
The analysis of leaf colour of different common beech provenances revealed variations in the presence of different groups of colours with varying shades in a particular period. Current differences in winter leaf retention indicate that 65.92 % of the plants in the entire experiment do not retain the leaves. The highest proportion of leaf non-retention, amounting to 91.05 %, was manifested by the provenance from Germany (Hoellerbach). It can be concluded that common beech is genetically differentiated according to ecological and vegetation areas and that it shows different morphological and physiological characteristics from different provenance areas. This proves that morphological and physiological properties of common beech are influenced by a number of factors and that each of the investigated properties is determined by a large number of genes.
The obtained results can be used in the breeding programme of common beech, as well as in the activities related to the conservation of genetic variability using the in situ and ex situ methods.
Keywords
European Beech; provenance trial; phenology; coloration and winter leaf retention
Hrčak ID:
157017
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2015.
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