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The impact of climate on radial growth and nut production of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) in Southern Kyrgyzstan

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Abstract

This dendroecological study used time series of climate and radial growth and nut production of Juglans regia to investigate the relationships between these parameters. More than 200 trees growing at sites of different altitude, aspect, inclination and human impact intensity were sampled in walnut-fruit forests of the Jalal Abad region in Southern Kyrgyzstan. Tree rings were dated and ring widths measured. Wide and narrow tree rings, so called positive and negative pointer years, could be explained by climatic events. The mean annual increment differed significantly in different regions and altitudes. The highest values could be found in plantations and at higher altitudes (1,700–2,000 m a.s.l.). Analysing the relationships between nut crop yields and annual increment, we found a significantly positive correlation between nut crop of the current year (x) and ring width of the previous year (x − 1). This relationship is influenced by climatic conditions, and may change in the future if climatic conditions in the region will change. Our study shows that Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) of South Kyrgyzstan can be used in dendrochronological studies, and illustrates the influence of site conditions and management practices on radial growth of this tree species.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Kyrgyz State forest service for data access and fieldwork permissions, the colleagues B. Tagaev (Municipality school Gumchana), I. Amatov (Technical University of Osh), D. Artykbaev (Biosphere Institute Jalal Abad), G. Lazkov (Komarov Institute St. Petersburg and Institute for Biology and Soil Science Bishkek), T. Narikev, K. Baltabaev, and J. Sauermann (FH Eberswalde) for help in the field work, U. Büntgen (WSL) for assistance in statistics and M. Dobbertin (WSL) for helpful discussions. Thanks to C. S. Eastaugh (University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna) and the two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on a previous version of the draft. Financial support was provided by the Volkswagen Foundation under the research project of the Universities of Greifswald and Nürnberg/Erlangen (Germany) “The impact of the transformation process on human environmental interactions in Southern Kyrgyzstan” (2003–2006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190, Wien, Austria

    Maria-Barbara Winter

  2. University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde, Alfred-Möller-Strasse 1, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany

    Barbara Wolff

  3. Botanical Institute, University Greifswald, Grimmer Strasse 88, 17487, Greifswald, Germany

    Hagen Gottschling

  4. WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Paolo Cherubini

Authors
  1. Maria-Barbara Winter
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  2. Barbara Wolff
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  3. Hagen Gottschling
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  4. Paolo Cherubini
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Barbara Wolff or Paolo Cherubini.

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Communicated by C. Ammer.

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Winter, MB., Wolff, B., Gottschling, H. et al. The impact of climate on radial growth and nut production of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) in Southern Kyrgyzstan. Eur J Forest Res 128, 531–542 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-009-0295-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-009-0295-1

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