Factors affecting success in natural regeneration works of cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) In Kas region of Antalya

Abstract

Plants are living things that form the basis of food pyramid, provide numerous products and are considered as the source of life. Many professions such as agriculture, forestry and landscaping work on plant growing. The fast growth of plants is of prime importance since it provides advantage in light and root competition in the areas where plants are grown. For this reason, it is highly important to identify the factors affecting plant development and to change these factors in favour of the target species. In order to achieve this, first of all, the factors affecting the development of the target species in the study area should be known. In this study, which was carried out in the natural regeneration areas of Taurus Cedar (<em>Cedrus libani</em> A. Rich) found in the Kasaba Forest Sub-District Directorate in Kas region of Antalya, and was prepared as a term project, 3-year-old young cedars naturally grown in different stands were compared in terms of their root collar diameters, seedling length and number of seedlings, and the factors affecting the natural regeneration success were tried to be identified by factor analysis. As a result of the study, it was found that the average root collar diameter was between 2.5 and 4.7 mm, the average seedling length was between 4.5 and 11.3 cm, and the average number of young cedars per square meter was between 6 and 47. When the factors affecting the natural regeneration success were examined, it was found that the factors such as soil moisture, precipitation, amount of organic matter, light intensity and number of healthy seeds were the most important factors that played a role in this success, and that those factors explained 78.32% of the total variance.