Growth characteristics of three-year-old Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) seedlings from natural regeneration under a dense canopy stand

A morphometric analysis was conducted on three-year-old Turkey oak seedlings naturally regenerated from 2015 mast year in a degraded stand at Fruška gora on the site of pedunculate oak, European hornbeam and Turkey oak with limes (Carpino betuli-Quercetum roboris (Anić 59) Rauš 1971 var. geograf. Tilia argentea + Tilia cordata B. Jovanović & Tomić (1980) 1997). The stand overstory consists of Turkey oak and silver lime. After the first growing season, the height of the above-cotyledon-axis was between 8.6 and 44.1 cm, and the seedlings morphology was typical for shade conditions. The height growth increment in the second growing season was 0.7–6.1 cm, and 0.5–5.4 cm in the third growing season. The total height of the seedlings at the end of the third growing season was 13.0–47.0 cm, with 3–6 leaves and root collar diameter between 2.0 and 3.9 mm. In the closed canopy conditions, the three-year-old seedlings were are able to survive in large numbers while showing a specific norm of reaction in the first and the upcoming years. The one-flush growth is the basic trait of the height growth. The results are pointing out to the Turkey oak ability of ontogenetic adaptation in the dense canopy conditions. This is an important trait in the process of natural regeneration of mixed-species stands.