Effect of Elevation on Morphological Characteristics and Germination of Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata) Seeds

Abstract

Aim of the study: This study was undertaken to determine the effect of elevation on the characteristics of cones and seeds of black alder (Alnus glutinosa subsp. barbata). 
 Area of study: Cones were collected from three different elevations (270 m, 590 m and 860 m) within the native range of the species in in Arhavi district of Artvin Province, in October 2017. 
 Material and methods: Morphological characteristic such as diameter and length of cones, width, length and thickness of seeds were measured. In addition, germination percentage and mean germination time parameters were used to evaluate the germination ability of seeds. Germination experiments were carried out with four replications where each replicate contained 50 seeds. Stratification pre-treatment was applied to seeds for 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. 
 Main results: Results showed that cone diameter, seed length, seed width and seed thickness were significantly affected by elevation. Differences in germination percentage and average germination time also were significant (p