JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE VOLUME 66 ISSUE 6 (On–line) ISSN 1805-935X Prague 2020 (Print) ISSN 1212-4834 Journal of Forest Science continuation of the journal Lesnictví-Forestry An international peer-reviewed journal published by the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic Aims and scope: The journal publishes original results of basic and applied research from all fields of forestry related to European forest ecosystems. Papers are published in English. 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Licence terms All the content of the articles is made freely available for non-commercial purposes, users are allowed to copy and redistribute the material, transform, and build upon the material as long as the source article is properly cited. © 2020 Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences MK ČR E 1329 Journal of Forest Science Volume 66, No. 6 2020 CONTENT ORIGINAL PAPER Gallo J., Vacek Z., Baláš M., Vacek S.: Germinative capacity and energy of critically endangered Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) in the Czech Republic .................................................. 227 Ju S., Xu D., Zhang C., Lu J., Jiang X., Ji L.: Induction of tolerance by chlorocholine chloride in Sequoia sempervirens seedlings under natural cooling and drought ............................................................. 236 Yousefshahi B., Bazgir M., Jamali S., Kakhki F.V.: Morphological and molecular identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) tree .................................... 244 Yukhnovskyi V., Zibtseva O.: Green space trends in small towns of Kyiv region according to EOS Land Viewer – a case study ............................................................................................................................... 252 Go to the website for information about Journal of Forest Science: https://www.agriculturejournals.cz/web/jfs/ Journal of Forest Science Volume 66, No. 6 2020 Editor-in-Chief Vilém V. Podrázský Prague, Czech Republic Co-editors Peter Surový Radek Pokorný Prague, Czech Republic Brno, Czech Republic Executive Editor Jana Janovcová Prague, Czech Republic Editorial Board Isabella Børja Libor Jankovský Hans Pretzsch Ås, Norway Brno, Czech Republic Freising, Germany Andrzej Bytnerowicz Vilém Jarský Pasi Puttonen Riverside, California, U.S.A. Prague, Czech Republic Vantaa, Finland Thomas Cech Eric J. Jokela Peter Rademacher Vienna, Austria Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A. Eberswalde, Germany Jan Čermák Dušan Kacálek Jiří Remeš Brno, Czech Republic Opočno, Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic Jaroslav Červený Jiří Korecký Marcus Schmitt Prague, Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic Essen, Germany Ignacio J. Diaz-Maroto Emanuel Kula Luděk Šišák Santiago de Compostela, Spain Brno, Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic Roger-Dirk Eisenhauer Carsten Lorz Vít Šrámek Pirna, Germany Freising, Germany Prague, Czech Republic Michael Englisch Martin Moog Marek Turčáni Vienna, Austria Freising, Germany Prague, Czech Republic Marek Fabrika W. Keith Moser Paweł Tylek Zvolen, Slovak Republic Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.A. Kraków, Poland Paola Gatto Jindřich Neruda Marcela Van Loo Legnaro, Italy Brno, Czech Republic Vienna, Austria Vladimír Gryc Sasa Orlovic Klaus-Hermann von Wilpert Brno, Czech Republic Novi Sad, Serbia Freiburg, Germany Petr Horáček Aleš Zeidler Brno, Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic Journal of Forest Science, 66, 2020 (6): 227–235 Original Paper https://doi.org/10.17221/47/2020-JFS Germinative capacity and energy of critically endangered Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) in the Czech Republic Josef Gallo*, Zdeněk Vacek, Martin Baláš, Stanislav Vacek Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic *Corresponding author: [email protected] Citation: Gallo J., Vacek Z., Baláš M., Vacek S. (2020): Germinative capacity and energy of critically endangered Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) in the Czech Republic. J. For. Sci., 66: 227–235. Abstract: Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) is a rare and critically endangered taxon of the genus Betula. Its distribution is limited to few countries in Europe. In the Czech Republic, this taxon, characterized by typical shrubby habitus, has been found in fewer than 70 tree individuals, prevailingly in the studied locality Volyně, West Bohemia. This study was focused on the germinative capacity and germinative energy of this taxon, as it is an important indica- tor of possible regeneration of the trees in nature and for conservation. Non-stratified seeds (2 200 pcs) and stratified ones (2 200 pcs) were compared to each other and in relation to dendrometric tree parameters. The results showed no significant (P > 0.1) differences between stratification variants in total germination (higher by 0.8% in stratified), though stratification improved germinative energy. Germination was in 1st week higher by 6.0% in stratified variant, respectively marginally (P < 0.1) higher in 2nd week in non-stratified variant. However, both germinative capacity and germina- tive energy were significantly (P < 0.01) variable between individual trees. The germinative capacity was significantly (P < 0.05) positively correlated with tree defoliation. Tiny seeds and triploid trees exhibited very low and zero germi- native capacity and energy, respectively. Totally, seeds exhibited sufficient germinative capacity and germinative energy of 23.1% (0.0–62.5%). This suggests that the trees can be potentially used for this type of Ojców birch regeneration i.e. generatively from seeds, although rather in controlled artificial conditions. Keywords: germination; stratification; silviculture; Ore Mts.; Central Europe Birches (Betula L.) are an essential ecological the other hand, birch may have commercial impor- component in European forests (Hynynen et al. tance, especially silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) 2010; Vacek et al. 2016). This genus plays an im- and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) (Val- portant role in the Czech Republic in terms of in- konen, Valsta 2001; Hynynen et al. 2010). creasing biodiversity, complex forest structure and In Czech Republic, rare taxon of the genus Betula improving soil properties (Podrázský et al. 2009). Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) occurs in Birches are light-demanding pioneer tree species, addition to the two species mentioned above (Kar- which rapidly occupy open areas after forest fires, lík et al. 2010; Baláš et al. 2016). Its distribution is post-mining landscape and clear-cuttings due to limited to several countries in Central, Northern their prolific seed production and fast juvenile and Eastern Europe (Staszkiewicz 2013; Vítámvás growth (Fischer et al. 2002; Vacek et al. 2018a). On et al. 2020). At the study area Volyně, Ojców birch Supported by the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Project IGA FLD No. A/19/24 and by the TAČR Agency, Project No. TAČR TH03030339. 227 Original Paper Journal of Forest Science, 66, 2020 (6): 227–235 https://doi.org/10.17221/47/2020-JFS also suffers from high intensity of deer browsing, active management likely to disappear from its im- such as other palatable broadleaved tree species portant locations of occurrence. Seed production (Vacek et al. 2013; Ambrož et al. 2015). Therefore, and subsequent germination play an important the ability (density and growth) of natural regen- role for successful birch reproduction in terms of eration and occurrence of young trees is consid- both natural and artificial regeneration (Hester et erably decreased due to increasing deer popula- al. 1991;