Phenotypic characteristics of trees and seeds as the base for improvement and conservation of the horse chestnut gene pool

Abstract

This study deals with individual and group variability of horse chestnut trees cultivated in urban cenoses in Belgrade, Zemun, and Pančevo, Serbia. The trees were selected according to their morphological-aesthetic properties and yield variability. In view of size of the study populations, it can be considered that the trees were cultivated in more or less uniform ecological conditions and that individual intra-population variability is mostly the result of genetic properties. The study results can serve as the base for selection of genotypes significant for application in urban cenoses, especially for the establishment of tree rows.

Keywords

• Aesculus hippocastanum L.
• conservation
• polymorphism
• selection
• gene pool