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Background Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) is harvested for its edible kernels. It is an important forest tree species, and also plays an important role in afforestation. Successful afforestation activities strongly depend on the quality of seeds and seedlings. Five eastern native populations of stone pine were analyzed, in terms of their geographical and climatic parameters, in order to identify their cone, seed, pine nut, and seedling traits. With this regard, we aimed to contribute to the reforestation, yield, and breeding of this species. Results All native populations occur in the sub-humid bioclimatic zone, according to Emberger’s bioclimatic classification, ranging 74.7–63.2 of Emberger’s Q Index value (Q), which synthesizes humidity and temperature, with lower values indicating more arid conditions. With regard to geographical factors, altitude was found to have the greatest effect on cone diameter and seed weight, while there was a weak correlation of cone, seed, and pine nut dimension with longitude and latitude. In terms of climatic factors, Q and mean of the maximum temperature of June, July, and August (ME) were found to be the main drivers behind significant effects in cone, seed, and pine nut morphometric traits. The most negative effect on seed number cone−1 (r: − 0.897), pine nut number cone−1 (r: − 0.923), pine nut yield (r: − 0.903), and pine nut weight (r: − 0.878) was Q, whereas cone diameter, seed length, and seed weight were positively correlated with the ME (r: 0.939, r: 0.889, and r: 0.866, respectively). Cone and seed diameter and seed weight increased with decreasing summer drought index (r: − 0.806, r: − 0.846, and r: − 0.866, respectively). Rainfall in the June of the third year prior to harvest time (RJ) had a negative effect on the percentage of sound seeds per cone. Annual rainfall in the third year prior to harvest time (AR) significantly affected pine nut weight (r: 0.889), although rainfall during summer had a negative effect. The empty seed ratio of the different populations ranged from 20 to 68%, while considering all populations, the empty seed ratio was 46%. Conclusions The study suggests that the Q Index and ME should be taken into account to determine cone to pine nut yield. With this regard, plantations of stone pine should be established on sub-humid areas and Q values should not exceed 75.

Intraspecific and interspecific diversity between Phoenix theophrasti individuals (92 from Turkey and 70 from Crete, Greece) and P. dactylifera specimens (28 from Turkey) were investigated by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis. A total of 45 polymorphic fragments, 360-3454 bps long, were produced. Intraspecific diversity for P. dactylifera was 26.63% and similarities ranged between 0.5 and 1. In the constructed dendrogram, P. dactylifera specimens clustered together in the first main group, outside branches consisting of P. theophrasti samples that generated the second main group. The intraspecific diversity for Turkish P. theophrasti populations was found to be 18.60% and for Cretan populations 13.45%. Antalya-Kumluca-Karaöz samples were grouped outside the branches of the remaining P. theophrasti samples. All three Cretan populations formed their own, separate branch. Datça-Eksera Stream samples together with two Datça-Hurmalıbük specimens constituted a group excluding Datça-Hurmalıbük and Bodrum-Gölköy specimens. Five Bodrum-Gölköy genotypes were clustered separately. Gene flow (N m ) values among populations were estimated from 0.157 to 59.615. AMOVA analysis revealed the percentages of variance among and within Phoenix populations: 73% and 27%, respectively. The first three principal coordinate components accounted for 37.60, 29.32 and 20.04%, respectively, thus the total variance obtained from the first three principal coordinate components was 86.96%. A positive correlation between geographic and genetic distances of populations was detected by Mantel tests (Rx,y = 0.44, p = 0.04). The populations were classified into four clusters by STRUCTURE analysis, supported the PCoA data. To conclude, ISSR results support that P. dactylifera and P. theophrasti are different species. Moreover, the findings not only revealed relationships between natural Phoenix theophrasti populations but also supported the identification of the P. theophrasti individuals that are phenotypically differentiated in the divided Bodrum-Gölköy population (P. theophrasti subsp. golkoyana).ISSR genotyping of Phoenix theophrasti natural populations in Turkey and Crete (Greece) and P. dactylifera

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The present study was aimed at determining the influence of adding different amounts of spent coffee grounds (SCG) on germination percentage (GP) and mean germination time (MGT), seedling characteristics, and seedling biomass of different components of containerized 1 + 0 stone pine seedlings. Six different media were prepared including 100% conventional media, 100% sand, 10% SCG + 90% sand, 20% SCG + 80% sand, 30% SCG + 70%, sand and 100% SCG. While GP is 90% in the media where the SCG ratio is 10%, GP values decrease to 50% as the SCG ratio increases. The greatest seedling height values were found in conventional media (14.4 cm), followed by the seedlings in 100% sand with 11.4 cm and 20% SCG + 80% sand with 11.1 cm. The highest root collar diameter was found in 20% SCG + 80% sand with 3.9 mm. The highest root/shoot ratio (0.7) was obtained in 10% SCG + 90% sand. Total seedling biomass was the greatest in conventional media (2.1 g). As SCG increased in the media, N, K, Mg, and P concentrations increased, and Ca concentration and C/N ratio decreased in all seedling components (needle, main root, lateral root, and stem). Results point to the possibility of using a small amount of SCG to alter seed germination, seedling characteristics, and nutrient uptake for production of containerized stone pine seedlings.

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Key words: fire, heat treatment, high temperature, Mediterranean, soil seed bank. RESUMENEl fuego juega un importante papel ecológico en los ecosistemas de tipo mediterráneo. Muchas especies de plantas del Mediterráneo exhiben una capacidad mejorada de germinación cuando se exponen al calor. En el presente estudio, el efecto de altas temperaturas y los tiempos de exposición sobre la germinación de pino rojo de Turquía (Pinus brutia) fue analizado con el fin de revelar la respuesta de las semillas al fuego y las implicaciones en la regeneración de la especie. Las semillas se calentaron en un rango de temperaturas (75 a 170 ºC), con tiempos de exposición (30 segundos a 30 minutos) similares a los obtenidos en las capas superficiales del suelo durante los incendios naturales. En total se realizaron veinte tratamientos. Se calcularon los porcentajes de germinación de la semilla y los valores de germinación para cada tratamiento. Los resultados de ANOVA realizados para los valores de germinación, mostraron que la temperatura tuvo un efecto significativo. Los porcentajes de germinación aumentaron en los tratamientos térmicos a 70 ºC durante 10, 15, 20, 25 y 30 min; a 105 ºC durante 10, 15, 20 y 25 min, y a 130 ºC durante 1 y 2 min. El aumento de la temperatura y los tiempos de exposición generalmente disminuyeron el porcentaje de germinación, especialmente a 130 °C y superior en comparación con los controles. El porcentaje máximo de germinación se alcanzó en el tratamiento a 130 ºC durante 1 minuto, mientras se llegó a la germinación mínima a 130 ºC durante 10 min.Palabras clave: fuego, tratamiento térmico, alta temperatura, mediterráneo, banco de semillas del suelo.

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