Morphometric characteristics of Paulownia elongata S. Y. Hu. and Paulownia fortunei Seem. Hemsl. leaves and fertilisation in different sites

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the analysis dealing with the impact of plant fertilisation in the first year after planting on the leaf morphological characteristics. The analysis was conducted within the research into the potential introduction and adaptation of paulownia to different sites in Serbia. The results related to the effects of fertilisation on the quality of plant leaves are useful for the cultivation of certain types of soil where the morphometric analysis of leaves reveals structure-function relationships, i.e., more detailed indicators of the species' adaptability. The research was conducted in two localities. Sample plots with Paulownia elongata S. Y. Hu. and Paulownia fortunei Seem. Hemsl. were established in Obrenovac and Pambukovica, where leaf material was collected for laboratory analysis. The following morphometric leaf characteristics were measured: leaf area, leaf perimeter, leaf lamina length, central nerve length, maximum leaf width, leaf width at 1 cm from the base of the leaf, petiole length, distance between the 3rd and 4th nerve, the number of nerves to the left side of the midrib, and the number of veins to the right side of the midrib. The obtained results of leaf morphometric measurements were statistically processed in the Statgraphics software. Based on the results of measuring the leaf morphometric characteristics, fertilisation has a positive effect on the size of the leaves of the studied paulownia species.