ASSESSMENT OF SEED MATERIAL OF FOREST SEED PLANTATION OF EUROPEAN SPRUCE
The results of the study of morphometric parameters of cones of European spruce collected from plantations of different forestry are presented. It has been established that there is no reliable difference in the size and mass of cones. Therefore, the cones on the investigated plantations have approximately the same mass and size. The obtained results indicate the equalization of morphometric parameters and the mass of forest seed raw material in different spruce plantations. Indicators of seed quality in the investigated plantations are also not significantly different. Weight: 1000 pcs. seeds is 5.87-6.08 g. The energy of seed germination is 59-69%, the germination rate is 76-81%. For these indicators, the seeds correspond to the second class of quality. The most important indicator that characterizes the yield of plantations is the percentage of yield of seeds from cones. In our studies, the yield of seeds was 3.3-3.6%. In the production conditions, the average yield of spruce seeds is about 2%. In the workshops for processing seed-bearing raw materials, with insufficient opening of the cones, some seeds remain not extracted. Therefore, an important task is to increase the yield of spruce seeds by improving the technology of their processing.