Investigation on growth and performance of three exotic softwood species on eastern Caspian Sea littoral of Iran (case study: Zaghemarz Experimental Station, Mazandaran)

Abstract

In order to determine the growth and yield of three pine species, this study was carried out in the forest and rangeland research station of Zaghmrz , located in East of Caspian sea shore. Treatments were Pinus pinea, P. longifolia and P. brutia. Their one year old seedlings were arranged based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Seedlings were planted with 3 meters interval in 1994. Seedling survival and quality and quantity characteristics were recorded and measured every year until the end of the eleventh. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the species in respect to survival, collar diameter and diameter at breast height. But the difference between the species was significant in respect to total height and quality of seedlings. The survival rate ranged from 82.43 percent for Pinus longifolia to 95.68 percent for Pinus pinea at the end of the eleventh. The mean rate of d.b.h ranged from 9.49 for P. longifolia to 12.23 centimeters for P. brutia. The greatest amount of high quality individuals respected to P. pinea and then P. brutia . Based on Duncan multiple analysis species grouped in two sections. The first group allocated to P. brutia with 591 centimeters of total height and the last related to P. longifolia with 287.67 centimeters of total height. At the end of the eleventh, the stuckproductions were40.02 m3, 19.67 m3 and 10.48 m3 for P. brutia, P. pinea and P. longifolia respectively. The mean annual diameters increment were 12 millimeters, for P. brutia, 10.5 millimeters for P. pinea and 9,2 millimetersfor P. longifolia. The mean annual height increment was 59.5 centimeters, 40 centimeters and 9.5 centimeters for three mentioned speciesrespectively. Pinus brutia and P. pinea showed a good adaptation at the mazandaran east see shore until the eleventh.

Keywords

• conifer
• P. brutia
• p. longifolia
• P. pinea
• height
• diameter
• survival
• Quality
• increment