Determination of drought tolerance in some red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) seed stands

Pinus brutia can be used for afforestation of degraded areas because of its drought resistance. It is of great interest for the afforestation of arid zones. The use of appropriate seed sources for the specific areas affects reforestation success. Away from its native areas Pinus brutia is planted for ornament and timber. Selection of drough resistant provenances can very well increase the survival success. In this study, the effects of water potential on germination were studied in fourteen provenances of Pinus brutia from Turkey. Water potentials between 0 and -8 bars were obtained using polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000) solutions. Seeds were kept for 35 day at 20 ± 0.5 °C. A decrease in water potential produced a marked reduction in germination percentage and germination value. As a result, significant variations between the provenances were found. As a result, significant variations between the provenances were found. It was determined that, under a -8 bar water stress, Isparta-Bucak and Mersin-Silifke, respectively corresponding to 58% and 57% of the control group, were the least water stress affected provenances.