Inter-annual variability of Pinus pinea L. cone productivity in a non-native habitat
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Inter‑annual variability of Pinus pinea L. cone productivity in a non‑native habitat Verónica Loewe‑Muñoz1 · Mónica Balzarini2 · Claudia Delard1 · Rodrigo Del Río1 · Andrea Álvarez1 Received: 18 June 2019 / Accepted: 14 January 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Pinus pinea produces the most expensive pine nuts worldwide, with a masting habit (variable cone productivity over time) in its native habitat. This study assessed the presence of masting habit in a non-native area, the correlation of annual cone production with climatic variables, and the impact of resource depletion on cone productivity 3 and 4 years after a bumper crop. During 10 years, all cones tree−1 were harvested and counted in three plantations. Cone yield stability was measured via coefficient of variation of cones tree−1. Climatic factors were correlated with stone pine masting. Results indicated that inter-annual variability of cone yield and annual rainfall during 3 years prior to seed maturity, and thermal oscillation 2 years before harvest, were significantly correlated. A correlation was found between cone productivity when reproductive shoot differentiation or when male and female primordia induction occurred, and cone productivity 3 and 4 years later. Individual tree fruit load did not reduce flower induction. The most productive trees will also be the most productive ones in the following years, a finding with practical implications for breeding programs and plant production. Keywords Allochthonous plantations · Alternate fruit productivity · Fruit load · Masting habit · Stone pine
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s1105 6-020-09774-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Verónica Loewe‑Muñoz [email protected] Mónica Balzarini [email protected] 1
Chilean Forest Institute (INFOR), Sucre 2397, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
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CONICET Biometry Unit, College of Agriculture, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Haya de la Torre s/n, Córdoba, Argentina
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New Forests
Introduction Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) is a Mediterranean species of economic importance due to its highly demanded pine nuts, one of the nine most important dried fruits worldwide (Gordo et al. 2011). Pine nuts have high contents of protein, fats -mostly unsaturated-, and total dietary fiber, and low carbohydrate content (Zuleta et al. 2017). Pine nut production is a function of many factors including number of cones, cone weight and cone to pine nut yield (percentage of total pine nut weight relative to cone weight). The species is characterized by low level of genetic diversity and remarkable plasticity (Mutke et al. 2007). Nevertheless, the main effect of environment, related to climate conditions, has been widely reported (Calama et al. 2007; Loewe et al. 2016). In its native habitat, the species exhibits a pronounced masting habit (Prades et al. 2005; Calama et al. 2005; Piqué 2009); the variable causes of this phenomenon include meteoro
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