INTEGRATED EFFECT OF CLIMATE AND AIR POLLUTANTS ON DIURNAL TREE RING FORMATION OF SCOTS PINE, NORWAY SPRUCE AND SILVER AND DOWNY BIRCH TREES STEM CIRCUMFERENCE

The integrated effect of climatic and other abiotic stress factors including surface ozone on diurnal tree ring width formation of the prevailing in Lithuania tree species as the main response parameter of tree capacity to adapt to and mitigate the recent global changes was investigated. The obtained data revealed that Norway spruce is better adapted to recent climatic conditions in temperate forest than birch trees. Even during the drought episode spruce stem increment exceeded increment of the rest of considered tree species. Silver and Downy birch tree reactions revealed the lowest sensitivity of these tree species not only to unfavorable environmental factors but also to favorable factors which should stimulate tree growth intensity. This is why the growth intensity of this tree species recently has been gradually decreasing. The hypothesis that the coniferous species are more adaptive to recent climate changes was confirmed. The study is based on the results obtained conducting national project supported by Lithuanian Council of Research “FOREstRESS” (SIT- 3/2015).

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Intra-Annual Variation of Stem Circumference of Tree Species Prevailing in Hemi-Boreal Forest on Hourly Scale in Relation to Meteorology, Solar Radiation and Surface Ozone Fluxes

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12081017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1017

Author(s):

Algirdas Augustaitis

Keyword(s):

Solar Radiation ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Tree Species ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Surface Ozone ◽

Global Changes ◽

Moisture Regime ◽

Current Time ◽

Birch Trees ◽

Pine Trees

(1) Background: Continuous monitoring of the tree stem increment throughout the year is crucial for the understanding of trees’ reactions to changes in meteorology, solar radiation and surface ozone and evaluating the adaptive capacity of prevailing tree species to recent environmental global changes; (2) Methods: Data on tree intra-annual sequences based on electronic dendrometer data of Picea abies (L.) Karst, Pinus sylvestris L., Betula pendula, and Betula pubescens, growing under different nutritional and humidity conditions in the north-eastern part of Lithuania, together with their stem sap flow intensity, common meteorology and O3 fluxes, were used to meet the objectives of the study; (3) Results: Stem shrinking/contraction during the day, due to transpiration, and the swelling/expansion during the night was significantly related to meteorology, sun activity and O3 flux intensity. These variations were negatively related to current time and temperature, but positively to precipitation and relative humidity. O3 fluxed through the stomata stimulated the shrinking process more intensively than it inhibited the swelling process, but only for pine and birch trees. Spruce trees demonstrated the highest sensitivity to O3 impact due to its significant effect on the stem swelling process. Pine trees were less sensitive to O3 damages and birch trees were the least sensitive. An over-moisture regime at measoeutrophic organic soil forest site increased the significance of the effect of O3 on the tree increment of the considered tree species; (4) Conclusion: The most intensive tree ring formation of Scots pine trees in relation to recent environmental changes indicated their high resiliencies and adaptations to a local specific condition. Reduced tree growth intensity and weak relationships between the birch tree radios increment and main meteorological parameters indicated the lowest adaptive capacity of this tree species to recent environmental changes.

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The Effect of Climate on Tree-Ring Chronologies of Native and Nonnative Tree Species Growing Under Homogenous Site Conditions

Geochronometria ◽

10.2478/v10003-009-0006-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (-1) ◽

pp. 49-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Edward Feliksik ◽

Sławomir Wilczyński

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Tree Species ◽

Sitka Spruce ◽

Early Spring ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Site Conditions ◽

Diameter Increment

The Effect of Climate on Tree-Ring Chronologies of Native and Nonnative Tree Species Growing Under Homogenous Site ConditionsDendroclimatic studies were carried out in the experimental stands composed of many tree species situated in the Polish part of the Baltic sea-coast. Increment cores were taken from a 100-years old trees of 2 native species: Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestrisL.) and 3 nonnative species: Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii(Mirb.) Franco), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis(Bong.) Carr.) and Silver fir (Abies albaMill.). Thirty trees of each species were cored. The relationships between the diameter increment and the thermal and pluvial conditions during the period from 1925 to 2005 were analyzed on the basis of standardized tree-ring chronologies and climatic data. It was found that precipitation and temperature of the growing season and months preceding that season affected the annual diameter increment of all investigated tree species. The current year winter and early spring temperatures as well as February and August precipitation had a similar effect on the variation of diameter increment of trees. On the other hand thermal and pluvial conditions of the current year June differentiated the increment rhythm of individual species. A very strong negative effect on diameter growth of trees was observed in the case of winter and early spring frosts. Norway spruce turned out to be a species most resistant to low temperatures. The investigated tree species, especially Norway spruce, was susceptible to water deficiency in the soil during spring and summer. In the case of Scots pine a high precipitation in June stimulated its growth. The diameter increments of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, Scots pine, and Silver fir were more strongly connected with air temperature than with precipitation. So called all-species chronology of tree-ring width, constructed during this study, permitted to verify the factors having a similar effect on growth response of the investigated tree species. It reflected the mutual characteristics of diameter increments of trees of various species.

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Greenhouse gas dynamics in drained peatlands: CH4 and N2O fluxes from tree stems and soil

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15441 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Reti Ranniku ◽

Thomas Schindler ◽

Eliisa Lehtme ◽

Ülo Mander ◽

Katerina Machacova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Complex Dynamics ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Research Station ◽

Flux Data ◽

Biological Variables ◽

Birch Trees ◽

Downy Birch ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Ch4 And N2o

Peatland soils are considered the dominating source of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, there are high spatio-temporal uncertainties regarding the budgets of these greenhouse gases (GHG) from peatlands due to complex dynamics between the chemical, physical and biological variables occurring in the soil. GHG fluxes from peatland soils are relatively well studied, however, tree stems have received far less attention and are often overlooked in GHG models and assessments. It is necessary to study relationships between stem and soil fluxes, and their chemical, physical and biological drivers to understand the fluxes' origin.Our ongoing project focuses on measuring GHGs from tree stems and soil in the Agali Birch Forest Research Station in Estonia, representing a drained peatland with Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway Spruce (Picea abies) trees. Twelve representative sub-sites were selected in the study area. One half consist of an adjacent set of a Downy Birch and a Norway Spruce tree with manual tree stem chambers, plus one automatic dynamic soil chamber. The remaining sub-sites are set pairs of birch trees and soil chambers. Six birch trees and all six spruce trees have stem chambers installed at 10, 80 and 170 cm above the ground to measure stem fluxes' vertical profile. Chambers on the six remaining birch trees were only installed at the lowest height. During the weekly ongoing sampling campaigns that started in October 2020, we use manual static gas extraction from rigid stem chambers to analyse hourly changes in chamber headspace concentrations of CH4 and N2O. The gas samples are analysed in the laboratory within two weeks of collection using gas chromatography. Automated soil chambers collect CH4 and N2O flux data every two hours per chamber, and a connected Picarro measuring unit analyses the gas samples in-situ.When extrapolated, our results can help understand stem and soil GHG emissions on an ecosystem level and acknowledge the role of tree stems for local and regional GHG budgets. Within a larger research framework, these GHG flux data will be joined with detailed soil biogeochemistry and microbial dynamics to further improve process-based modelling of peatland GHG emissions. We plan to continue our measurements for one full year to understand the seasonal changes in CH4 and N2O emissions patterns.

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The complexity of biogenic boreal emissions through the lens of hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-13057 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Arnaud P. Praplan ◽

Simon Schallhart ◽

Toni Tykkä ◽

Jaana Bäck ◽

Heidi Hellén

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Hydroxyl Radical ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Large Fraction ◽

High Stress ◽

Chem Phys ◽

Stress Factors ◽

Unknown Primary ◽

In Situ Conditions ◽

Downy Birch

Di Carlo et al. (2004) identified a discrepancy between measured total hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity and the OH reactivity derived from the known air chemical composition in a forested environment. This missing reactivity has also been observed in the boreal forest (Sinha et al., 2010; N&#246;lscher et al., 2012; Praplan et al., 2019). It remains ambiguous (e.g. N&#246;lscher et al., 2013) if this missing reactivity stems from unknown primary emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation or from other sources (e.g. soil).In order to further investigate emissions from a boreal forest, we applied the Comparative Reactivity Method (CRM; Sinha et al., 2008; Praplan et al., 2017) to emission measurements. Simultaneously, the emissions were chemically characterized with on-line gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometery (GC/MS) methods.In a first stage of the study (May to October 2017), measurements alternated between seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and downy birch (Betula pubescens). They were placed in pots outside of the container were the instrumentation was placed at the SMEAR II station in Hyyti&#228;l&#228;, Finland. In a second stage (May to September 2019), emissions from forest trees (Norway spruce and Downy birch) for in situ conditions were analysed.The results show large variations of emission profiles and amounts throughout the year. In particular seedling were subject to periods of high stress which saw a large fraction of Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs) contributing to the reactivity and a general increase of the emissions and the total observed reactivity. Trees from the forest were less prone to such stress and their emissions are higher in the spring and early summer compared to later summer and autumn.While the presented dataset is limited and difficult to extrapolate from, it highlights important factors that need to be taken into account when modelling emissions: variability between tree species and individual trees, seasonal variations (slow changes) and stress factors (rapid changes), for instance.References:<ul><li>Di Carlo et al. (2004), Science, 304, 722&#8211;725, doi:10.1126/science.1094392. </li> <li>N&#246;lscher et al. (2012), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 8257&#8211;8270, doi:10.5194/acp-12-8257-2012.</li> <li>N&#246;lscher et al. (2013), Biogeosciences, 10, 4241&#8211;4257, doi:10.5194/bg-10-4241-2013.</li> <li>Praplan et al. (2017), Atmos. Env., 169, 150&#8211;161, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.09.013.</li> <li>Praplan et al. (2019), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 14431&#8211;14453, doi:10.5194/acp-19-14431-2019.</li> <li>Sinha et al. (2008), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 2213&#8211;2227, doi:10.5194/acp-8-2213-2008.</li> <li>Sinha et al. (2010), Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 6614&#8211;6620, doi:10.1021/es101780b.</li> </ul>

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OH reactivity from different tree species: Investigating the missing reactivity in a boreal forest

10.5194/bg-2020-37 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Arnaud P. Praplan ◽

Toni Tykkä ◽

Simon Schallhart ◽

Virpi Tarvainen ◽

Jaana Bäck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Species ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Green Leaf Volatiles ◽

Mass Spectrometers ◽

Leaf Volatiles ◽

Downy Birch ◽

Very High ◽

Comparative Reactivity

Abstract. In forested area, a large fraction of total hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity remain unaccounted for. Very few studies have been looking at total OH reactivity from biogenic emissions and its variations. In the present study, we investigate the total OH reactivity from three common boreal tree species (Scots pine, Norway spruce, and Downy birch), by comparing it with the calculated reactivity from the chemically identified emissions. Total OH reactivity was measured using the Comparative Reactivity Method (CRM), and the chemical composition of the emissions was quantified with two gas chromatographs coupled to mass spectrometers (GC-MSs). Dynamic branch enclosures were used and emissions from one branch of a tree at the time were measured by rotating between them periodically. Results show that birch had the highest values of total OH reactivity of the emissions (TOHRE), while pine had the lowest. The main drivers for the known reactivity of pine and spruce were monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. For birch, emissions were dominated by sesquiterpenes, even though monoterpenes and GLVs could be found too. However, calculated reactivity values remained low leading to the highest missing fraction of reactivity (>96 %), while pine and spruce had similar missing reactivity fractions between 56 % and 82 % (higher in the spring and decreasing as the summer proceeded). The high average values were driven by low reactivity periods and the fraction of missing reactivity got smaller for pine and spruce when the TOHRE values increased. Important exceptions were identified for periods when the emission profiles changed from terpenes to Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs), a family of compounds containing a 6 carbon atoms backbone with various functionalities (e.g. alcohols, aldehydes, esters) that indicate that the plant is suffering from stress. Then, very high TOHRE values were measured and the missing fraction remained high. This study found a different trend in the missing OHRE fraction of Norway spruce from spring to autumn compared to one previous study (Nölscher et al., 2013), which indicates that additional studies are required to fully understand the complexity of biogenic reactive emissions. Future studies of boreal trees in situ should be conducted to confirm the findings presented.

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Morphological Variation in Absorptive Roots in Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway Spruce (Picea abies) Forests Growing on Drained Peat Soils

Forests ◽

10.3390/f13010112 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 112

Author(s):

Azadeh Rezapour ◽

Marika Truu ◽

Martin Maddison ◽

Gristin Rohula-Okunev ◽

Arvo Tullus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Morphological Variation ◽

Tree Species ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Management Practice ◽

Specific Response ◽

Downy Birch ◽

Absorptive Roots ◽

The Mean

Peatland drainage based on ditch systems is a widely used forestry management practice in the boreal and hemiboreal forests to improve tree growth. This study investigated the morphological variation in absorptive roots (first- and second-order roots) across the distance gradient from the ditch with four sampling plots (5, 15, 40, and 80 m) in six drained peatland forests dominated by Downy birch and Norway spruce. The dominating tree species had a significant effect on the variation in absorptive root morphological traits. The absorptive roots of birch were thinner with a higher specific root area and length (SRA and SRL), higher branching intensity (BI), and lower root tissue density (RTD) than spruce. The distance from the ditch affected the absorptive root morphological traits (especially SRA and RTD), but this effect was not dependent on tree species and was directionally consistent between birch and spruce. With increased distance from the ditch (from plot 5 to plot 80), the mean SRA increased by about 10% in birch and 5% in spruce; by contrast, the mean RTD decreased by about 10% in both tree species, indicating a potential shift in nutrient foraging. However, soil physical and chemical properties were not dependent on the distance from the ditch. We found a species-specific response in absorptive root morphological traits to soil properties such as peat depth, pH, and temperature. Our results should be considered when evaluating the importance of morphological changes in absorptive roots when trees acclimate to a changing climate.

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Annual net nitrogen mineralization and litter flux in well-drained downy birch, Norway spruce and Scots pine forest ecosystems

Silva Fennica ◽

10.14214/sf.10013 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hardo Becker ◽

Jürgen Aosaar ◽

Mats Varik ◽

Gunnar Morozov ◽

Kristiina Aun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Nitrogen Mineralization ◽

Tree Species ◽

Low Fertility ◽

Net Nitrogen Mineralization ◽

N Input ◽

Downy Birch ◽

The Difference ◽

Study Sites

The main aim of the current study was to estimate the annual net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) flux in stands of different tree species growing on drained peatlands, as well as to clarify the effect of tree species, soil properties and litter on annual NNM dynamics. Three study sites were set up in May 2014: a downy birch ( Ehrh.) stand and a Norway spruce ( (L.) Karst.) stand in full-drained swamp (ODS) and a Scots pine ( L.) stand in full-drained swamp (MDS). The NNM flux was estimated using the method with incubated polyethylene bags. The highest value of NNM was found in stands that were growing on fertile ODS: 127.5 kg N ha yr and 87.7 kg N ha yr, in the downy birch stand and in the Norway spruce stand, respectively. A significantly lower annual NNM flux (11.8 kg N ha yr) occurred in the Scots pine stand growing in MDS. Nitrification was highest at fertile ODS sites and ammonification was the highest at the low fertility MDS site. For all study sites, positive correlation was found between soil temperature and NNM intensity. The difference in annual NNM between the downy birch stand and the Norway spruce stand growing on similar drained fertile peatlands was due to litter quality. The annual N input into the soil through leaf litter was the highest at the downy birch site where also the C/N ratio of litter was the lowest. The second highest N input into the soil was found in the spruce stand and the lowest in the pine stand.Betula pubescensPicea abiesOxalisPinus sylvestrisMyrtillusin situâ1â1â1â1â1â1

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Distribution and diversity of tree species with respect to soil electrical characteristics in Finnish Lapland

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x02-076 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (7) ◽

pp. 1158-1170 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

R Sutinen ◽

A Teirilä ◽

M Pänttäjä ◽

M -L Sutinen

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Tree Species ◽

Solute Concentration ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

Timber Species ◽

Electrical Characteristics ◽

Mature Trees ◽

Finnish Lapland ◽

Downy Birch

Soil dielectric permittivity (ε), which is dependent on soil water content (θv), and electrical conductivity (σ), which is dependent on soil solute concentration, were measured in the immediate vicinity of 7596 mature trees naturally established on glacial deposits across granitoid and greenstone assemblages in Finnish Lapland (67°30' N-68°40' N). The proportions of the main timber species Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) or the diversity of tree species were not affected by the temperature sum (between 750 and 600 degree-days), but the occurrences were strongly influenced by the soil's electrical characteristics. Scots pine and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) were found to only occupy dry soils (fixed effect estimates ε(p) = 8.5 and ε(sb) = 8.3) with low solute concentration (σ(p) = 0.64 mS·m-1 and σ(sb) = 0.56 mS·m-1), while Norway spruce, downy birch, aspen (Populus tremula L.) and sallow (Salix caprea L.) occupied sites with higher soil moisture (ε(s) = 17.0, ε(db) = 14.7, ε(a) = 16.7, and ε(sa) = 16.7) and solute concentration (σ(s) = 0.96 mS·m-1, σ(db) = 0.90 mS·m-1, σ(a) = 1.07 mS·m-1, and σ(sa) = 0.93 mS·m-1). Species diversity was found to be at its highest with the following soil parameters: 12 < ε < 15 and 0.8 < σ < 1.2 mS·m-1. Scots pine was concentrated on tills derived from granitoid rocks. Norway spruce dominated sites on tills particularly derived from the mafic metavolcanic rocks of the Greenstone Belt but did not occur on tills derived from granulite. The edaphic constraint for pine appeared to be θv > 0.27 cm3·cm-3 (ε > 15) and for spruce σ < 0.5 mS·m-1, respectively.

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OH reactivity from the emissions of different tree species: investigating the missing reactivity in a boreal forest

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-17-4681-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (18) ◽

pp. 4681-4705

Author(s):

Arnaud P. Praplan ◽

Toni Tykkä ◽

Simon Schallhart ◽

Virpi Tarvainen ◽

Jaana Bäck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Species ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Green Leaf Volatiles ◽

Mass Spectrometers ◽

Leaf Volatiles ◽

Downy Birch ◽

Very High ◽

Comparative Reactivity

Abstract. In forested area, a large fraction of total hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity remains unaccounted for. Very few studies have looked at the variations in total OH reactivity from biogenic emissions. In the present study, we investigate the total OH reactivity from three common boreal tree species (Scots pine, Norway spruce, and downy birch) by comparing it with the calculated reactivity from the chemically identified emissions. Total OH reactivity was measured using the comparative reactivity method (CRM), and the chemical composition of the emissions was quantified with two gas chromatographs coupled with mass spectrometers (GC–MSs). Dynamic branch enclosures were used, and emissions from one branch of a tree at the time were measured by periodically rotating between them. Results show that birch had the highest values of total OH reactivity of the emissions (TOHRE), while pine had the lowest. The main drivers for the known reactivity of pine and spruce were monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Birch emissions were dominated by sesquiterpenes, but monoterpenes and green leaf volatiles (GLVs) were present as well. However, calculated reactivity values remained low, leading to the highest missing fraction of reactivity (>96 %), while pine and spruce had similar missing reactivity fractions between 56 % and 82 % (higher in the spring and decreasing as the summer proceeded). The high average values were driven by low-reactivity periods, and the fraction of missing reactivity got smaller for pine and spruce when the TOHRE values increased. Important exceptions were identified for periods when the emission profiles changed from terpenes to GLVs, a family of compounds containing a backbone of six carbon atoms with various functionalities (e.g. alcohols, aldehydes, esters) that indicate that the plant is suffering from stress. Then, very high TOHRE values were measured, and the missing fraction remained high. This study found a different trend in the missing OHRE fraction of the Norway spruce from spring to autumn compared to one previous study (Nölscher et al., 2013), which indicates that additional studies are required to fully understand the complexity of biogenic reactive emissions. Future studies of boreal trees in situ should be conducted to confirm the findings presented.

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Telomere Length in Norway Spruce during Somatic Embryogenesis and Cryopreservation

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10020416 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 416

Author(s):

Tuija Aronen ◽

Susanna Virta ◽

Saila Varis

Keyword(s):

Somatic Embryogenesis ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Genotypic Variation ◽

Production Capacity ◽

Stress Factors ◽

Embryo Production ◽

One Year ◽

Plant Telomeres

Telomeres i.e., termini of the eukaryotic chromosomes protect chromosomes during DNA replication. Shortening of telomeres, either due to stress or ageing is related to replicative cellular senescence. There is little information on the effect of biotechnological methods, such as tissue culture via somatic embryogenesis (SE) or cryopreservation on plant telomeres, even if these techniques are widely applied. The aim of the present study was to examine telomeres of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) during SE initiation, proliferation, embryo maturation, and cryopreservation to reveal potential ageing or stress-related effects that could explain variation observed at SE process. Altogether, 33 genotypes from 25 families were studied. SE initiation containing several stress factors cause telomere shortening in Norway spruce. Following initiation, the telomere length of the embryogenic tissues (ETs) and embryos produced remains unchanged up to one year of culture, with remarkable genotypic variation. Being prolonged in vitro culture can, however, shorten the telomeres and should be avoided. This is achieved by successful cryopreservation treatment preserving telomere length. Somatic embryo production capacity of the ETs was observed to vary a lot not only among the genotypes, but also from one timepoint to another. No connection between embryo production and telomere length was found, so this variation remains unexplained.

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