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INTRA-ANNUAL HEIGHT GROWTH OF SILVER BIRCH (BETULA PENDULA) IN LATVIA

Bc. Baiba Dzerina, Dr. Linards Sisenis, Dr. Una Neimane, Dr. Imants Baumanis, Bc. Rolands Kapostins

Abstract

Silver birch is economically important tree species in Latvia. Currently most of clearcuts in stands of this tree species are regenerated naturally, however, there is an increasing demand of birch plants. Around 5 mil. plants are produced in Latvia annualy, exceeding the amounts in other countries in the region. With a goal to intensity the forest management, while propagating only the best genotypes and reducing initial spacing in order to ensure large radial increment, recently testing of vegetatively propagated plant material of this tree species had been started. Aim of our study was to characterize the development of height increment of vegetatively propagated silver birch during the first vegetation period after planting. Height increment of 15 clones (on average 10 trees per clone) and 53 seedlings was measured regularly пїЅ 12 times during the growing period, on average once per 10 days пїЅ in and experiment established on former agricultural land in central part of Latvia. Initial height for vegetatively propagated birches was 76пїЅ3.0 cm (пїЅCI), for seedlings 84пїЅ15.4, length of annual height increment 13пїЅ1.7 cm and 16пїЅ6.3 cm cm, respectively. Using initial height as covariate, no significant impact of type of planting material (vegetatively propagated vs. seedlings) was found. Clone (genotype) was a significant factor affecting total length of annual height increment. Clones with largest annual height increment had faster growth rate at the beginning of measurement period.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017h/33/s14.074

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