%0 Research article
%T Increasing survival and growth of Scots pine seedlings with selection based on autumn coloration
%A Pulkkinen, Pertti
%A Varis, Saila
%A Jaatinen, Raimo
%A Leppänen, Aulis
%A Pakkanen, Anne
%D 2011
%J Silva Fennica
%V 45
%N 4
%R doi:10.14214/sf.93
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/93
%X 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.