**2. Materials and methods**

**Seed collection and sowing:** Open pollinated seed materials from seventeen different natural populations of Turkish fir collected from Western Black Sea Region. Locations and description of the studied population are indicated in Fig. 1 and Table 1 in this study.

Fig. 1. Locations of the populations

**Seed and seedling morphological variables studied and data collection:** In this study, width, thickness, length and weight of seeds, carpel width, length and weight, carpel scape width and length, wings width and length were determined from total 303 sample trees. All length and width were measured with digital micro-compass (0,01 mm) from 10 samples for each sample tree. All weight was measured with digital weighing machine (0,001 gr).

**Statistical Analyses:** Data were subjected to multi-way analysis of variance, Duncan test and Hierarchical Cluster analysis with SPSS statistical package program. Relationships between 13 related characters were tested using correlation analyses.


Up to now, in Turkey, studies about genetic diversity of the main forest trees have been concentrated on pine species, neglecting other main forest tree species. Turkish fir is among

Turkish fir (*Abies nordmannianan* subsp. *bornmülleriana*) has a special importance for Turkey because of its increasing economic value in marketplace and decorative characteristic in landscape architecture. Furthermore, being an endemic species for Turkey, very decorative species, for this reason the species is the most widely preferred Noel tree in the world (Şevik et al, 2011). Turkish fir is distributed from Kzlrmak River to Mount Uludağ in Western Blacksea region, particularly in Ayanck, Ilgaz Mountains, Bolu Seben Mountains, Boyabat-Göktepe forests, Abant and Mount Uludağ. Stands of fir species occupy roughly 600.000 ha

The objectives of this study were to investigate the Genetic diversity among Turkish fir populations in Turkey, and determine the extent of between population variation, using 13

**Seed collection and sowing:** Open pollinated seed materials from seventeen different natural populations of Turkish fir collected from Western Black Sea Region. Locations and description of the studied population are indicated in Fig. 1 and Table 1 in this study.

**Seed and seedling morphological variables studied and data collection:** In this study, width, thickness, length and weight of seeds, carpel width, length and weight, carpel scape width and length, wings width and length were determined from total 303 sample trees. All length and width were measured with digital micro-compass (0,01 mm) from 10 samples for each sample tree. All weight was measured with digital weighing machine (0,001 gr).

**Statistical Analyses:** Data were subjected to multi-way analysis of variance, Duncan test and Hierarchical Cluster analysis with SPSS statistical package program. Relationships

between 13 related characters were tested using correlation analyses.

the one of the neglected species.

at Turkey (Anonymous, 2006).

**2. Materials and methods** 

different morphological characters.

Fig. 1. Locations of the populations


Table 1. Description of the studied populations in Turkey

Moreover, collected data was determined with Penrose formule. Data were standardized before the calculations and the morphological distance among populations were estimated as;

$$Z\_{i,k} = \frac{(X\_{i,k} - \bar{x})^2}{S\_k}$$

Where Zi,k is standardized values of the kth characteristics of the ith population, Xi,k is original average of the kth characteristics of the ith populations for the kth characteristics and Sk is the standard deviation of the studied populations for the kth characteristics (Şevik, 2005, 2010).

$$D\_{i,j} = \sum\_{k=1}^{p} \frac{\left(\mu\_{ki} - \mu\_{kj}\right)^2}{p.V\_k}$$

Where, Dtj is the morphological distance between the ith, population and the jth populations, n is the number of studied characteristics, µkj is the standardized values of the kth of the Ith population, µkj is the standardized values of the kth characteristics of the jth population, Vk is the variance of standardized averages of the kth characteristics (Yahyaoğlu et al, 2001) was applied by standardized values in SPSS statistical package program (Şevik, 2010).
