Spruce Morphological Diversity in the Northern Taiga Subzone of the Arkhangelsk Region. P. 205–213

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UDС

630*165.61/630*232.31

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2026-3-205-213

Abstract

The study of morphological diversity in woody plants is of considerable scientific and practical interest for breeding and reforestation. The relevance of this work is due to the introgressive hybridisation of European spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) in the Arkhangelsk Region, as well as the lack of research on this issue in the region’s northern taiga plant communities. The research aims at studying the morphological diversity of spruce in the northern taiga subzone in the Arkhangelsk Region. Field studies were carried out in September 2025 in spruce-blueberry forests in the Leshukonskiy District of the region. The studies showed that the typical Siberian spruce (58.8 %) dominates in the studied populations, while hybrid spruce with predominantly Siberian spruce characteristics accounts for 41.2 % of the total. Three crown branching patterns were found: dense (51 %), brush-like (27.5 %), and flat-branched (25.5 %). Significant differences at the 95 % significance level were found for cone weight, length, and diameter between the two phenotypes and spruce crown branching patterns. There are hardly any statistically significant differences in the parameters of seed scales (length, width, length of outer ends) between Siberian spruce and hybrids. The best biometric parameters of cones are typical for Siberian spruce cones and hybrid cones with brush-like crown branching. Analysis of variability showed that cone weight varies at a low and medium level, while length and diameter vary at a very low and low level. The data obtained expand our knowledge of the species and form composition of northern taiga phytocenoses and can be used for breeding activities and to improve the effectiveness of forest management measures.

Authors

Edward A. Genrikh*, Postgraduate Student; ResearcherID: PKR-9995-2026, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-4365
Elizaveta A. Belyaeva, External PhD Student; ResearcherID: JMR-4281-2023, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1388-6252
Dmitriy V. Leshukov, Postgraduate Student; ResearcherID: PMF-5915-2026, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3035-695X

Affiliation

Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Naberezhnaya Severnoy Dviny, 17, Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163002; genrih.edvard@yandex.ru*, belyaeva.e1@edu.narfu.ru, anshukov2017@gmail.com

Keywords

Siberian spruce, introgressive hybridization, cones, crown branching pattern, biometric traits variability, taiga northern subzone, Arkhangelsk region

For citation

Genrikh E.A., Belyaeva E.A., Leshukov D.V. Spruce Morphological Diversity in the Northern Taiga Subzone of the Arkhangelsk Region. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal,
2026, no. 3, pp. 205–213. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2026-3-205-213

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