Full text of this article is only available in PDF format.

Pertti Pulkkinen (email), Saila Varis, Raimo Jaatinen, Aulis Leppänen, Anne Pakkanen

Increasing survival and growth of Scots pine seedlings with selection based on autumn coloration

Pulkkinen P., Varis S., Jaatinen R., Leppänen A., Pakkanen A. (2011). Increasing survival and growth of Scots pine seedlings with selection based on autumn coloration. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 4 article id 93. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.93

Abstract

This study evaluates the possibility of using autumn coloration of young Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings as an indicator of adaptation to harsh climate conditions. One-year old seedlings from natural stands with different origins and seed orchards were classified as “red/reddish” and “green” based on the needle color after artificially increased night length in nursery and then measured after 14 years in field trials. In almost all the studied groups seedlings classified as “red/reddish” had significantly higher survival rate than seedlings classified as “green”. The survival of “red/reddish” was 14.2% higher than “green” among natural stand seed material and 56.2% among seed orchard material. During the study period the survival difference between “red/reddish” and “green” seedlings tended to increase. The seedling color had limited connection with the height growth, even though the trees classified as “red/reddish” were slightly taller than those classified as “green”. However, the total productivity over all field trials, described here as a heightsum, of “red/reddish” trees was 15% higher than productivity of “green” trees from natural stand material, and 61% higher than those from seed orchard material. It seems that controlled selection based on autumn color can be utilized within seed crops of different types with the aim to increase the adaptability of seed material to different environmental conditions.

Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; adaptation; field trials; harsh conditions; needles; nursery; selection

Author Info
  • Pulkkinen, Metla, Haapastensyrjä, Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail pertti.pulkkinen@metla.fi (email)
  • Varis, Metla, Haapastensyrjä, Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail sv@nn.fi
  • Jaatinen, Metla, Haapastensyrjä, Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail rj@nn.fi
  • Leppänen, Metla, Haapastensyrjä, Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail al@nn.fi
  • Pakkanen, Metla, Haapastensyrjä, Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail ap@nn.fi

Received 20 September 2010 Accepted 31 August 2011 Published 31 December 2011

Views 4953

Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.93 | Download PDF

Creative Commons License CC BY-SA 4.0

Register
Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.
Log in
If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.
Contents alert
Sign up to receive alerts of new content

Your selected articles
Your search results