Variations, narrow-sense heritability, and correlations for height and diameter at base were examined in a 15- years progeny trial established by 30 open pollinated families of Manna ash (Fraxinus ornus L. subsp. cilicica) to con-tribute genetics-breeding practices of the species. Averages of tree height and diameter at base of the family were 318.5 cm and 62.5 mm in the families, while there were large differences among trees within family for the characteristics. Averages of families ranged from 285.6 cm to 359.2 cm for tree height, and between 55.3 mm and 70.5 mm for diam-eter at base. They changed between 180 cm and 462 cm for tree height, and between 36.6 mm and 95.9 mm for diam-eter at individual trees of total families. The families showed significant (p≤0.05) difference for the tree height opposite to diameter at base according to results of analysis of variance. Variation among trees within family was higher than among families for the characters. The heritability was 0.21 for tree height and 0.06 for diameter at base. Thus, non-genetic factors seem often more important for the variation in performance of trees than their genetic structure, and forestry practices on Manna ash. Positive and significant (p≤0.05) phenotypic and genetic relations between tree height and diameter at base were found based on correlation analysis. Results of the study were discussed based on genetic-breeding and other forestry and cultivation practices of the species.
correlation, diameter, growth, height, heritability, variation
Introduction
According to the latest forestry inventory [1], Ash taxa (Fraxinus sp.) has about 12074 ha at 23.4 million ha of total Turkish forest area by three species (Fraxinus excelsior, F. ornus and F. angustifolia) [2]. However, mos of them is unproductive distribution. Until recently, Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) and Narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl.) have been planted mainly with production objectives. Both species (but particularly common ash) have been widely
planted for timber, and there has been some work on genetic improvement for common ash, based on selection for traits considered superior in a timber tree [3]. The Manna ash (Fraxinus ornus L.) has the most limited distribution of three Turkish and European ashes. Manna ash occurs mainly in southern Europe and its main dis-
tribution range is in Italy (mostly in the south and Mediterranean Islands), Greece, and in kast regions of the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey as local population, groups or a maquie element as to be a dominant or codominant species in most of its habitats by two subspecies (Fraxinus ornus subsp. cilicica and F.o. subsp. ornus) [3]. Silvicultural management showed Fraxinus ornus forest takes three different forms: high forests (of seed origin), coppices and mixed shrubs. The trees are frequently multistemmed or shrubby owing to coppicing, grazing or re-sprouting after wildfires [3]. While Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Narrow leaved ash (F. angustifolia) occupy in humid area, Manna ash occupy in arid zones of Mediterranean region in Turkey [4]. Manna ash grows from sea level up to 1500 m altitude at optimum rainfall is from 500 to 650 mm, and low temperatures limit the distribution of Manna ash in central Europe [3]. It is a small deciduous tree, usually not more than 15 m tall [3]. However, wood of manna ash is an important material for such as furniture, ornamental, charcoal and equipments of music industries. Besides, oil is extracted from its bark used in medicinal purposes [2]. In addition to the species is very resistance to aridity, forest fire [5], and climate change [6]. Manna ash could be also an adaptive species to climate change. Its forests on carbonate soils possess rich species diversity. At present the main silvicultural significance of F. ornus in southern and central Europe is in the reforestation or afforestation of eroded and degraded soils in karst regions and other degraded ecosystems around the Mediterranean Basin. On such sites it covers the soil very quickly, and ameliorates poor soils with its annual litter-fall. It also provides good microclimatic conditions for the growth and regeneration of other tree species. It grows rapidly when young (in contrast to the oaks which grow with it), but only to a height of 8-15 m .Fraxinus ornus is the source of manna, an oxidised dried exudate from the bark of young trees which was formerly used as a laxative [3]. These advantages of the species are getting importance for increasing of limited distribution by plantation forestry, and also genetic-breeding studies. Estimation of morphological variation and gentic parameters are most important tools in genetic-breeding strategies and other forestry practices. It is clear that quality and quantity of forest product such as wood could be increased by intensive silviculture and genetic-improvement studies (i.e., progeny test, estimations of genetic parameters) togetherwith solution of environmental problems such as global warming by resistance breeding. However, limited genetic studies were carried out on Manna ash [e.g., 3, 7-11].
The present study aims to evaluate the variations in tree height and diameter at base within and among families and individual trees, to estimate their relations, and heritability in 15-years progeny test of the species to discuss on silvicultural and genetic-breeding managements, and other forestry and cultivation practices of F. ornus.
Material and Methods
Data Collection
Tree height and diameter at base were important characters in forestry practices because of easy measurement, and biomass estimation. Data of tree height (H) and diameter at base (D0) was collected from a 15- years progeny trial established (latitude 37°45′ N, longitude 30°35′ E, altitude
Figure 1. A view from the progeny trial
Source: author's сomposition
Three healthly invididuals were sampled from each replicate and family. However, 24 of the families had enough survival for this study. No any practice was applied to the progeny trial such as pruning, fertilization, and removing of trees etc.
Data Analysis
The families was compred for the tree height and diameter at base by following model of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at SAS package [12]:
(1)
Where Yijk is the observation from the kth tree of the jth family in the ith replicate, μ is overall mean, B(F)j(i) is effect of the jth family in the ith replicate, and eijk is random error.
Individual (hi2; narrow-sense heritability) heritability (hi2) used fod different purposes in plant science was estimated as [13]:
(2)
is the additive genetic variance,
is the genetic variance of families or phenotypic variance, k is the covariance coefficient between half-sibs.
Variability of both the phenotype and genotype could be measured, although the genotype was more important from the point of view of breeding, conservation and utilization [3]. Variance components, expressed as coefficient of genetic (CVg) and phenotypic (CVp) variations were estimated as:
and (3&4)
Where is overall character mean.
Phenotypic (rp) and genetic (rg) correlations between tree height and diameter at breast height were estimated as [14]:
and (5&6)
Where is the phenotypic covariance between characters x and y,
and
are the phenotypic variances for characters x and y, respectively. Where
is the genetic covariance between characters x and y,
and
are the additive genetic variances of characters x and y, respectively
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