ZLV Online

Abstract

This study examines the variability of Scots pine provenances in four Czech research plots from the same series of experiments conducted in 1972. 121 provenances from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were evaluated in terms of growth and morphological characteristics. The quantitative traits measured for each tree were its tree height and DBH. The stem volume was also calculated according to the volume equation (Petráš, Pajtík 1991). Among the qualitative traits, stem form, health status, branch thickness in the crown, stem damage, stem twist, stem clearing, stem cross-section, and taper were evaluated. The large variance in growth characteristics of provenances does not specify the suitability of a particular reproductive material for a given area. Slovak provenances even from a relatively small land unit (Šaštín area) planted in the same research plot have different quantitative and qualitative traits. However, the evaluation of the test plots of Scots pine in Bohemia showed impaired growth performance of most of the Slovak provenances. Therefore, it is necessary to test more provenances from a larger area of the Scots pine range to obtain the possibility of using a wider range of reproductive material of the tree in our conditions. In the long term, further provenance trials with new reproductive material are needed to assess suitability under changing natural conditions.