This study was conducted to investigate variability in adaptability and growth of 24 Norway spruce provenances introduced from Germany and Rumania and to select provenances having best adaptability and growth for planting in Korean environmental condi...
This study was conducted to investigate variability in adaptability and growth of 24 Norway spruce provenances introduced from Germany and Rumania and to select provenances having best adaptability and growth for planting in Korean environmental conditions.
There were significant differences on field survival among provenances at the year of test plantation establishment and also at the ages of 7, 12, and 15.
Survival of the provenances at the age of 15 was correlated positively with the latitudes of the seed origin but negatively with the longitudes as well as the altitudes of the seed origin. Generally, the survival of the trees was still better on the plantations with higher annual precipitation and located at higher altitudes, whereas the survival was poor on the plantaions with higher soil clay content.
Significant differences in height and diameter growth were found among provenances as well as among plantations. For height and diameter growth, best results were obtained from provenances 10 and 14 which introduced from Germany, while poorest growth performance were investigated on provenances 046 and 048 from Rumania. Provenance rank in height and diameter growth fluctuated significantly from age to age. Height and diameter growth of provenances were significantly correlated with latitudes of the seed origin, survival, and germination rate. However, height and diameter growth of provenances were negatively correlated with longitudes of the seed origin. Height and diameter growth were positively correlated with altitude, soil silt and mineral contents, C.E.C., soil pH, and climatic factors such as ; relative humidity, annual number of foggy days at the plantations. The growth of Norway spruce trees was affected mostly by the silt and sand contents in soil of the plantation followed by in the order of the amount of organic matter, total nitrogen content, Mg⁺⁺ content, pH, annual number of foggy days, and relative humidity.