Effects of geoclimatic factors on the variability in Pinus pinea cone, seed, and seedling traits in Turkey native habitats

Abstract

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.

Morphological and Chemical Differentiation between Tunisian Populations of Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia, and Pinus pinaster

“…As described in Table 1, significant variations of the moisture and total lipid contents were also found between populations of each pine species. The observed differences could be mainly explained by the degree of seeds maturation, exposure to different climatic conditions differences, and by phenotypic and genotypic diversities among populations [26–28] …”

Recommendations for increasing yield of the edible Pinus pinea L. pine nuts

“…Cone weight has shown to be affected by climatic conditions in the spring of the last year of cone maturation, especially by rainfall [ 32 , 33 ], which partially explains the high inter-annual variability previously reported in the species’ native habitat [ 34 ]. In Chile [ 9 ], annual rainfall [ 35 ] and average temperature were also positively correlated with cone weight.…”

Forest Conservation and Restoration Using the Emberger Index: Cork Oak as Study Case

“…In this study, we analyzed Emberger's climatogram for cork oak commonly used by experts to characterize the suitability of an area to host the species with reforestation plans. Once the models are assessed for other species, we believe that Emberger's Index could be easily used by foresters and experts involved in forest restoration and reforestation projects of the Mediterranean ecosystems [52,53]. The results evidenced the efficacy of the method but suggested the need for updated raw data to be implemented into the formula.…”