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Impacts of precommercial thinning on gas exchange, midday water potential, and chlorophyll content in Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana stand from the semiarid region

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Abstract

The net photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (E), chlorophyll content, and midday xylem water potential (Ψmd) of Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe trees were studied in a natural stand (Burdur-Aziziye, Turkey) for the first (2015), second (2016) and third (2017) years after precommercial thinning (PCT) to better understand the physiological and biochemical responses of trees in a semiarid region. In this study, three treatments (control, 2–2.5 × 2–2.5 m and 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 m spacing) were applied. Soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature (ST) was greater in both PCT treatments than in the control treatments. In general, the control treatment had a lower Ψmd compared with PCT treatments. A, gs, and E are generally higher than PCT treatments applied with 3–3.5 m spacing. The lowest gs and E were determined in the control trees. Ψmd and A were positively correlated with SWC, but negatively correlated with ST. The decrease in stress level, improvement in resources, and reduced competition for resources by fewer trees increased the A and gs in trees in the PCT treatments. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content are higher in the control treatments as compared to PCT treatments. SWC, ST, Ψmd, A, gs, E, and photosynthetic pigment showed seasonal changes. The two PCT treatments were generally similar in the ecophysiological changes in plots and a longer time is needed to decide for PCT treatments applied with 3–3.5 m spacing. According to the results obtained, it is recommended that PCT be applied with spacings of 2–2.5 × 2–2.5 m.

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Acknowledgements

This study was a part of the PhD thesis prepared by Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Suleyman Demirel University. It was funded by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey) TOVAG 114O659 project. We thank TUBITAK for its financial support.

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  1. Department of Forestry Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, 32260, Isparta, Turkey

    Esra Bayar & Ayşe Deligöz

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  1. Esra Bayar
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AD planned and designed the study. EB collected and analyzed the data. EB results interpretation and wrote the manuscript with suggestions from AD. Two authors read and reviewed the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Esra Bayar.

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Bayar, E., Deligöz, A. Impacts of precommercial thinning on gas exchange, midday water potential, and chlorophyll content in Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana stand from the semiarid region. Trees 34, 1169–1181 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01989-6

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