Agricultural Technology of Cultivation of Siberian Spruce Seedlings in the Trans-Baikal Territory
Siberian spruce (Pícea obovata) covers an area of about 10 thousand hectares in the Trans- Baikal Territory and grows in all forest areas, except for the steppe zone. Most often it forms mixed plantings, with the participation of some species of conifers (cedar, fir, pine), as well as softwood species (birch, aspen). Considering the frost resistance and the lack of appropriate agrotechnical equipment, we conducted the research on Siberian spruce seedling growing in the nursery of the Ingodinsk forestry station of the Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in order to afforest the felling and burnt areas, and to create forest crops. The optimal agricultural methods for Siberian spruce growing were established. The pre-seeding seed treatment test (18-hour steeping in a0.02 % solution of zinc sulfate and snowing for 60 days) showed the increasing of seed germination by 20...25 % compared to the control. The best field germination was noted during seeds sowing in the beginning of the second decade of May, thawing of soil to a depth of20...25 cm, the width of the sowing line of 5...6 cm, the seeding depth of 2 cm. The seedlings were better protected from burn at the seedtape direction from north to south, frequent watering during the seed germination and in the wake of rising, as well as sawdust mulching of seedlings up to 1 cm thick. The use of the agricultural methods data allowed us to increase the height of seedlings by 70...80 %, the yield of standard seedlings - by 127.2 % to the planned one.