Seed mass effects on performance of Pinus halepensis Mill. seedlings sown after fire

Abstract

Pinus halepensis is a widely distributed species in the Mediterranean basin. It is generally well adapted to regenerate after wildfire, except when fire intervals are too short (≤15 years). In these latter situations, direct seeding could be a good alternative for restoring pine woodland after fire. Under dry climate, low seedling growth and survival can greatly limit the use of seeding. Early studies have shown that seedlings grown from large seeds have higher seedling establishment, growth and survival. Seed size grading may however reduce the genetic diversity of a seed lot by eliminating part or all of the families with relatively small seeds. An alternative to improve seed lot quality without losing genetic variability could be collecting and sieving seeds from each family separately. In order to explore the influence of seed mass on P. halepensis seedling performance, seeds from five half-sib families differing in mean seed mass were sown under greenhouse and field conditions. Final seedling emergence was unrelated to seed mass and half-sib family. The time of emergence was also unrelated to seed mass but it varied among families. Seed mass showed a positive effect on seedling height and diameter, both at population level and within family throughout the study period (9 months under greenhouse conditions and 20 months under field conditions). We also observed a negative relationship between seed mass and relative growth rate for seedling diameter, but it was not high enough to fully compensate the initial differences due to seed mass at the end of the 20-month study period. Seedling predation had a considerable impact on seedling survival, and it was not related to seed mass. When seedlings killed by predation were excluded from the survival analysis, larger seedlings, coming from larger seeds, showed slightly better survival, but only during the first growing period. The small advantages obtained from large seed mass in seedling development do not seem to justify the increased operational costs derived from seed mass selection for each family.