First evaluation of growth parameters in clonal test with wild cherry

Abstract

A 6-year-old clonal trial with 13 clones of wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) was evaluated during the summer of 2004 at 6 different sites in the Czech Republic. Observed traits were the stem height, stem diameter, health status, and mortality. The mixed linear model was implemented with either independent or the autoregressive error structure. The later provided better fit to the data. At this age, only one clone outperformed the remaining ones in volume production. Suggestions for future research activities are provided that should lead to the establishment of long-term breeding programs with wild cherry in the Czech Republic.

Keywords

• prunus avium l.
• clonal test
• linear mixed models
• spatial analysis
• forest tree breeding