Marina Nonic

Leaf morphometric characteristics variability of different beech provenances in juvenile development stage

The taxonomic status of beech from the Balkan Peninsula is not yet clearly defined. There is no agreement among different authors about the morphological characteristics discriminating between the Balkan and European and/or Eastern beech. For most characteristics, the mean values are different but the ranges of variation overlap considerably. Provenance trial of beech established in Serbia, at the locality Debeli Lug, has provided an opportunity for research of interprovenance variability at the level of leaf morphometric characteristics in juvenile development stage. Research included 10 provenances originating from the Western Balkans (Serbian provenance 36 and 38; Croatian provenance 24 and 25; Bosnian provenance 30 and 32) and from Central Europe (German provenance 47 and 49; Austrian provenance 56 and Hungarian provenance 42), where following morphometric characteristics were analyzed: leaf length (Ll), leaf width (Lw), petiole lenght (Pl), leaf base width on 1 cm (Blw), number of veins - left (Vl), number of veins - right (Vr), distance between 3rd and 4th vein - left (Dv 3-4). The results of this research show existence of clear differentiation among provenances from the Western Balkan and from Central Europe, from the point of leaf dimensions, number of veins and leaf base width. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR31041: Establishment of Wood Plantations Intended for Afforestation of Serbia i br. 43007: Studying climate change and its influence on the environment: impacts, adaptation and mitigation]

Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources

Forest genetic resources represent the genetic diversity contained in thousands of tree species on Earth, and can be defined as the genetic variability of tree species, which has a potential or real value for humans (FAO, Plant genetic resources: their conservation in situ for human use, 1989). The increasing demand for wood, as a raw material for various purposes, as well as general useful forest functions, has made the protection (conservation) and directed utilization of forest genetic resources became a priority task of forestry science and profession. Conservation of forest genetic resources could be defined as a set of activities and strategies that are being implemented with the aim of ensuring the continued existence, evolution and availability of these resources for present and future generations. Conservation of these resources should be considered as the efforts to preserve specific genotypes or populations and the combination of genes within them. Therefore, the aim of genetic resources management is to improve conditions for the continuous evolution of the species, which represents the defense mechanism of organisms in suppression the environmental changes. Genetic variability, which is the result of different genetic processes: mutation, recombination, gene flow, natural selection and genetic drift, presents the basis for conservation of forest genetic resources. The principles of genetic variability conservation can be regarded as identical for all living beings. However, the methods which are applied vary depending on the specificity of the conservation goals, distribution and biological nature of the material that is the object of conservation.