The classification of <i>Picеа schrenkiana </i>seeds on the sizes of germs and endosperms
The forests of Zailiysky Alatau (1450-2850 m above sea level), consisting of the Schrenk's spruce, have the important slope strengthening, water regulating and mud protection forest meaning. Meanwhile, during the last century, the forests have been strongly influenced by the anthropogenic factors (cattle grazing, fires, etc.), which led to a reduction in the area covered by them, an increase in the number of low-density and overmature stands, a decrease in their protective properties. There is the risk ofmudslides, landslides and avalanches. Particular attention should be given to the highmountain forests, where the silvicultural work isn’t carried out. There is a special spruce ecotype and its seeds have very low germination. Therefore, the scientific task was to determine the reasons of low seed germination. For this purpose it was decided to use a X-ray method. X-ray method for the seed Schrenk's spruce was developed. This method allowed us to get the high-quality images of seed internal contents. The images were taken with the following physical parameters of apparatus: amperage 90 μA, voltage 40 kV, exposure time 15-20 min, with distance from focus of lens to mages 30 cm. The dose of irradiation was 2 R in 20 min. The classification by seed size of their germs and endosperms is developed. One of the main reason of the low seed germination in the highlands is a large number of empty and underdeveloped seeds. There is a correlation between the quantity of germinating seeds and the seeds with developed endosperms and germs (≥ ¾ of norm). The content of germinal seeds with endosperm more than ¾ from norm varies from 19 to 49%. Only a small part (less than 8.5%) among the full seeds had fully developed normal germs, the remaining seeds had germs with various sizes, or there was not internal content (empty).