Mubariz Mehak, Ashfaq A. Mir, P.A. Khan, Vaishnu Dutt, M.I. Jeelani and Khursheed A. Shah
Abstract
The present study was conducted to study the effect of source variation on seedling growth and biomass characteristics of Abies pindrow Royle and selection of the best mother tree for future afforestation programs in Kashmir. Seeds were collected from eight mother trees each representing a source from three forest divisions of Kashmir: Pir Panchal, Tangmarg and Sindh Forest division. With respect to seedling growth parameters and biomass characteristics significant variation was observed among all the sources (trees). The average maximum values of shoot length (17.05 cm), collar diameter (2.41 mm), root length (16.54 cm), number of roots per seedling (13.20), number of needles(20.03), seedling vigor index (1729.26), survival percentage (71.27%), plant percent (68.31%), fresh shoot weight (2.38g), dry shoot weight (1.65 g), fresh root weight (1.81g), dry root weight (1.23g) and root shoot ratio (1.83) were recorded in seedlings raised from seeds collected from T3 of Pir Panchal division. Genetic analysis indicated that highest PCV and GCV was recorded in dry shoot weight (55.54) and (47.18). Most of the seed and seedling growth traits have strong heritability in the narrow sense. Heritability in narrow sense was highest for dry shoot weight (81%). The minute difference in PCV, GCV and high heritability indicate that these traits are strongly influenced by genetic control. These findings provide valuable insights into the selection of superior mother tree for seed collection, paving the way for tree improvement programs, sustainable propagation, and conservation efforts for this important tree species.