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Provenance Variation in Seed Morphometric Traits, Germination, and Seedling Growth of Cordia africana Lam

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Abstract

Patterns of genetic variation in Cordia africana, a tropical timber species, were evaluated at the population level. Bulk seed samples were collected from six natural populations in Ethiopia and examined for variations in seed morphometric traits, seed germination, and seedling growth at nursery stage. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among provenances in all studied attributes except root collar diameter after 4 months of growth. The provenance effect, as determined by broad sense heritability, was 71–98% for seed morphometric traits, 80% for germination capacity, 42% for germination energy, 57–58% for seedling height and 3–13% for root collar diameter. Seed weight showed a significant positive correlation with altitude and negative correlation with mean annual temperature of seed origin. Germination energy was significantly correlated with longitude and mean annual rainfall. Seedling parameters and geo-climatic variables of seed origin were fairly correlated. A significant intercharacter correlation was found between seed length and seed weight, between root collar diameter at the age of 4 months and seed length and weight, as well as between seedling height after 4 and 8 months of growth. It can be concluded that the observed patterns of variation will have implications for genetic resources conservation and tree improvement.

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Author notes

  1. Abraham Loha

    Present address: Wondo Genet College of Forestry, P.O. Box 128, Shashemene, Ethiopia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden

    Abraham Loha, Mulualem Tigabu & Anders Fries

  2. Forest Stewardship Council, African Regional Office, P.O. Box RY615, Kumasi, Ghana

    Demel Teketay

  3. Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Kenneth Lundkvist

Authors
  1. Abraham Loha
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  2. Mulualem Tigabu
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  3. Demel Teketay
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  4. Kenneth Lundkvist
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  5. Anders Fries
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Correspondence to Anders Fries.

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Loha, A., Tigabu, M., Teketay, D. et al. Provenance Variation in Seed Morphometric Traits, Germination, and Seedling Growth of Cordia africana Lam. New Forest 32, 71–86 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-005-3872-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-005-3872-2

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