Effects of thinning degrees on some morphological quality characteristics of Taurus cedar seedlings at the Erzincan forest nursery

In this study, the effects of different growing densities on morphological characteristics of Taurus cedar seedlings (Cedrus libani A.Rich) and the distribution of the seedlings into two different seedling quality class were examined under field conditions. Randomized complete block method with five treatments and three replications was used as experimental design. Seedlings were grown on 7 rows in each plot. On each row, 5 different spacing treatments were applied: control, 2.5 cm, 5 cm, 7.5 cm and 10 cm. Effects of the treatments were analyzed by using analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple comparison test. These analyses showed that the spacing of 7,5 cm resulted in the best seedling based on morphological characteristics. In addition, the quality distribution of these seedlings were determined based on two different quality standards, including TSE 2265 March/1976 and TSE 2265 February/1988. Based on TSE 2265 February/1988, 98% of the seedlings grown at 7,5 cm spacing were graded as 1st class and the remaining 1% was graded as rejects. According to the results of this research, the use of 1+0 Taurus cedars grown with 7.5 cm intervals for reforestation can be recommended for Erzincan and similar environments. Keywords: Taurus cedar, growing density, seedling morphological characteristics, seedling quality classifications.