Growth characteristics of three-year-old Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) seedlings from natural regeneration under a dense canopy stand

Abstract

A moprhometric analysis was conducted on three-year-old Turkey oak seedlings naturally regenerated from 2015 mast year in a degraded stand at Fruška gora on the site of pedunculate oak, European hornbeam and Turkey oak with limes (Carpino betuli-Quercetum roboris (Anić 59) Rauš 1971 var. geograf. Tilia argentea + Tilia cordata B. Jovanović & Tomić (1980) 1997). The tree layer in this 114-yearold stand consists of Turkey oak and silver lime. In the dense canopy conditions, the height growth of the seedlings during the first three years was characterized by monophase type growth. In the first year of growth, the height of the above-cotyledonaxis was between 8.6 and 44.1 cm, and the seedlings morphology was typical for shade conditions. The height growth increment in the second year of growth was 0.7– 6.1 cm, and in the third year 0.5–5.4 cm. The total height of the seedlings in the third year was 13.0–47.0 cm, with 3–6 leaves and the root collar diameter between 2.0 and 3.9 mm. In the closed canopy conditions, the three-year-old seedlings are able to survive in large numbers while showing a specific norm of reaction in the first and the upcoming years. The monophase type of growth is the basic trait of the height growth. The results are pointing out to the Turkey oak ability of ontogenetic adaptation in the dense canopy conditions. This is an important trait in the process of natural regeneration of mixed-species stands.