The aim of this study was to examine the development of the cold acclimation of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings. The effect of fertilization was also studied. The seedlings were two-year-old. As a comparison stump sprouts from the near-by forest were used. The seedlings were treated in temperatures of +5°C (= control), –5°C and –15°C four times with conductivity measurements and with ocular inspection.
There were no significant differences in cold acclimation between different fertilization treatments or between the fertilized seedlings and stump sprouts. This may have been due to the rapid cooling rate. The cold acclimation of the seedlings was registered well by the changes in the relative conductivity values. The differences between the relative conductivity values of different temperature treatments in August and the beginning of September were significant. However, in the end of September and especially October the values no longer differed significantly. Correlation proved good between the relative electrical conductivity tests and the ocular inspections of the damages.
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