%0 Research article
%T Genetic variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) provenances in Spain: growth traits and survival
%A Alía, Ricardo
%A Moro-Serrano, Javier
%A Notivol, Eduardo
%D 2001
%J Silva Fennica
%V 35
%N 1
%R doi:10.14214/sf.601
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/601
%X Plants obtained from seed of 16 Spanish and 6 German provenances of  Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were installed at five trial sites  distributed throughout the natural range of the species in Spain. Five  years after planting (7 years of age) the experimental material was  measured for total height, diameter, number of twigs at the fourth year  whorl and survival. The analysis confirmed that the rate of height  growth of the Spanish is lower than that of the German provenances,  whereas for the other traits the best Spanish compare favourably with  the Germans. Provenance by site interaction was very significant (P <  0.01) for most traits. Attempts to model the interaction of Spanish  provenances on height by simultaneous introduction of some climatic and  geographic covariates on both factors were not successful but a  multiplicative model with one bilinear term was enough to provide a  sensible explanation of this interaction. Usually, provenances closest  to each trial site were found better adapted than more distant ones but  some provenances of close origin presented a different behaviour.  Processes of adaptation and selection of these ancient populations could  be considered as the main factors to cause this interaction.