State of the art of the research on seedling quality of the genus Pinus in Mexico

Abstract

Research on seedling quality is necessary to guide nursery production and to contribute to the improvement of survival in the field in reforestation programs. In order to investigate the use of morphological and physiological variables as well as the tests used for determining the quality of seedlings of nursery-grown Mexican Pinus species, a review of the subject was carried out in scientific articles published between the years 2000 and mid-2018 in different databases. 61 scientific articles (77 studies) were found. Diameter and height were the most used morphological attributes, followed by the shoot:root ratio. The most used physiological traits were the leaf concentration of nutrients and the water potential. Less than one third of the research includes the performance of field survival tests; more studies should be supported using this test in order to render the results more robust and applicable. Only 17 out of the 57 pine taxa in Mexico have been formally researched. Given the ecological and economic relevance of the genus, it is essential to continue researching the other species and to delve further into such topics as the analysis of micorrhyzal species and the level of micorrhyzation in plants.