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IMPACT OF ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS ON ENGLISH OAK (QUERCUS ROBUR L.) PLANTS AFTER WINTERING IN TREE NURSERIES IN LATVIA

Aigars Indriksons

Abstract

In Latvia, English oak Quercus robur L. planting material is grown both as bare-root seedlings and bare-root plants. Its breeding is difficult, because the quality of planting material is affected by both abiotic and biotic factors. Damage caused by various factors may be spread evenly and unevenly in the area of cultivating planting material. The most common damage to seedlings and plants can be observed already in the spring, when new leaves begin to flourish and new shoots develop. It is clear that differences in the inherent persistence of a tree (for example, frost resistance) cause varying degrees of damage, but this may vary for each tree. After the winter season, the main types of damage are water rats, earthworms, gnaws of hares and Artiodactila (roes), heightened soil moisture (groundwater level). Of the risk factors for growing of planting material mentioned above, the most common are abiotic - damage to the frost and heightened groundwater level, and biotic damage ? gnawing of Artiodactila. Temperature changes and adverse weather conditions are mainly damaging the open planted seedlings and plants. The long and warm autumn period contributes to frost damage for young immature shoots. The presence of frost damage is evidenced by the fact that the leaves of the previous summer shoots, wintering buds of oak plant material were covered with violet color (mean incidence of damaged trees 0.5%). The high humidity regime is determined by the amount of precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Part of the precipitation is evaporating, but if this process takes place too slowly, soil compaction takes place, organic matter leaks, trees suffer from lack of oxygen in the soil, causing the death of the roots. In the swampy soil, the root system of the seedlings is damaged, which greatly contributes to the development of the lateral roots. Under these conditions, the growths are low and jubilant. In the Tree Nurseries Norupe and Zabaki there was no observed high soil moisture, but it was found in the Jelgava Tree Nursery (mean incidence of damaged trees 25%). There in the Jelgava Tree Nursery of Joint Stock Company ?Latvian State Forests? are gnaws of roes observed (mean incidence of damaged trees 11.4%). The area has a lower fence, and the Nursery is located in the Jelgava City area where the hunting is prohibited, so the animals feel safe and have a feed base. The height of the gnaws depends on the thickness of the snow cover. The quality of oak's planting material is formed as a result of gnaws of Artiodactila.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2018/3.2/s14.105

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