Survey of growth, survival and germination characteristics of seeds and seedlings of Thuja orientalis in different treatments of sowing date, irrigation and weed control

• Main Authors: Naghmea Soufizadeh, Sayyed Mohsen Hosseini, Mas'oud Tabari
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands of Iran 2010-09-01
• Series: تحقیقات جنگل و صنوبر ایران
• Subjects: Seed; sowing date; Irrigation; Weed control; Thuja orientalis; Germination
• Online Access: http://ijfpr.areeo.ac.ir/article_107698_e1b13e631febc85aebd7e85b210c030b.pdf
• ISSN: 1735-0883; 2383-1146

Thuja orientalisis one of the most important species due to its low ecological needs and tolerance against winter dry and summer heat, which is very current in forest plantation in degraded ecosystems and arid and semi-arid shrub lands of Iran. This experiment was performed at complete randomized block and factorial design with three treatments, sowing date (autumn and winter), irrigation periods (2 and 4 -days) and weed mechanical control (7 and 14 -days) with four replications and 15 vases (per replications) in Zaghe nursery in Khorramabad, Iran. At the end of the first growing season, measurements were including germination characteristics, height growth, collar diameter, root length and survival rate. Results showed that effect of sowing dates and irrigation periods ongermination characteristics, height growth and collar diameter were significant. Maximum growth was in autumn sowing and 2-days irrigation periods. Effect of sowing dates on survival of Thuja orientalisseedlings indicated that maximum survival was at autumn. Effect of sowing date and weed control on root length was significant. Based on the results, maximum root length was at autumn sowing and 14-days weed control periods. Based on the obtained results, autumn season can be suggested for Thuja orientalis, also since there is no significant effect of weed control on height and collar diameter, we can use 14 - days weed control operation instead of 7- days, for decreeing the cost of seedlings production in the nursery.