Effects of peat-based media amended with natural zeolite on seedling morphology of Fraxinus excelsior and Robinia pseudoacacia

This study was designed to investigate the influence of growth media based on peat (P), perlite (T) and zeolite (Z) on morphological attributes of container-grown seedlings of Fraxinus excelsior ve Robinia pseudoacacia. Thirty seedlings with three replications from each treatment after the first growing season were destructively harvested and a variety of morphological traits measured in both species. Zeolite added to mixtures of growing media (10% zeolite) did not reduce the morphological traits of the seedlings. Zeolite from Turkey can be used as an additive material in the propagation of seedlings. Since Turkey has 45.8 billions of zeolite potential, using zeolite in container tree nurseries in Turkey may reduce the costs significantly. In order to be able to make a better assessment in order to use zeolit as an additive growing medium, the performance and growth of the seedlings should be observed in field for at least 3-5 years. Key words: ash, black locust, seedling morphology, peat, zeolit