Volume 4
Issue 2
Forestry
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume4/issue2/forestry/abs-01.html
LEAF MORPHOLOGY AND THE DYNAMICS OF FROST-HARDINESS OF SHOOTS IN TWO PHENOLOGICAL FORMS OF EUROPEAN BEECH (FAGUS SYLVATICA L.) FROM SOUTHERN POLAND
Adam Dolnicki, Wojciech Kraj
ABSTRACT
Dynamics of shoot development, leaf morphology and changes in frost-hardiness of leaves from spring to autumn was studied in two phenological forms of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in years 1996-2000. The investigations were conducted in southern Poland, in research plots situated at elevations ranging from 250 to 1050 m. It was found, that trees classified as an early flushing form had longer and wider leaves and longer petioles (on average 11-15%) as compared with trees belonging to the late form. Leaf dimensions declined with increasing elevation of the research plots, especially in the early growth form (r ranging from –0.8953 to –0.9811). Determining frost-hardiness of young shoots with the Dexter’s method (on the basis of the index of damage according to Pearce), conducted by freezing tree shoots in a refrigerator at various times indicated, that in autumn both phenological forms did not differ in the degree of frost-hardiness. However, in the early spring, several weeks before
Key words: Fagus sylvatica, phenological forms, frost-hardiness, leaf morphology.