WEATHER RESPONSE OF SWEET CHESTNUT (Castanea sativa Mill.) RADIAL GROWTH INCREMENT IN BELGRAD FOREST

Abstract

Seasonal dynamics of growth increment and its response to climate factors were studied using three-year tree growth profiles of Castanea sativa in Turkey. For this purpose five Castanea sativa trees were selected, and connected girth-bands measurements were carried out at 10-day intervals from 2009 to 2011. Seasonal radial growth increment and relationships between temperature, length of day, humidity and precipitation were analyzed using a bootstrapped correlation function and a moving bootstrapped correlation function. We conclude that spring temperature and length of day have a positive effect on growth and that summer temperature and length of day significantly and negatively correlated with growth for all ten-day periods. Length of day in the previous 10-day period had a significant positive correlation on the current diameter increment. Despite the known strong relationship between precipitation and radial increment, because there was no precipitation for many days during summers, no significant relationships between 10-day growth increment and daily rainfall in the same period were observed.