Correlation between seedling length and Canadian Douglas-fir height

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the studies of Douglas-fir seeds from Canada aimed at understanding and controlling the processes of the genetic growth potential of Douglas-fir in Serbia. The research was focused on the early stage of Douglas-fir growth, i.e. at the stage of seed germination in the laboratory. We tested the correlation between seed germination, seedling length and the height of plants in the nursery. The seeds from 13 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) localities were obtained from Canada and compared under laboratory and nursery conditions. The seeds from different altitudes, latitudes and longitudes come from a part of the natural range of Douglas-fir in Canada. Before they are transferred and introduced, seed material must be tested with regard to the potential success of the selected tree species within the shortest possible time. This is necessary for the introduction of a tree species with a widespread natural range. Douglas-fir is a highly productive coniferous tree species with a broad geographical and ecological range. It has a wider natural range than other conifers and greater chances of successful adaptation to new ecosystems. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance for regression, regression and correlation were used to analyse the data. A strong correlation was established between the height of four-year-old seedlings and seed characteristics (germination rate and seedling length).