COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF POPULATIONS OF POPULUS PRUINOSA SCHRENK OF THE DESERT PART OF THE SYRDARYA RIVER VALLEY

Abstract

Annotation. The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the current state of two populations of the rare species listed in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2014) – Populus pruinosa Schrenk of the desert part of the Syrdarya river valley (the first grows on the territory of the reserve “Kargaly”; the second – in the Zhanakorgan forestry of Kyzylorda region). In particular, a brief description of growing conditions of these populations is given and biometric data of vegetative organs (tree height, trunk girth, length and width of leaf plates, length of petioles), as well as age composition of populations of this species are analyzed. It is shown that the leaves of P. pruinosa of the studied – Kargaly and Zhanakorgan - populations demonstrate a certain diversity of morphometric characteristics depending on ecological conditions of habitat. More favorable growing conditions of turanga in the Kargaly Reserve are reflected in the morphological parameters of tree leaves, which in the Kargaly population have larger average values of length and width than in the Zhanakorgan population. The P. pruinosa population of Zhanakorgan forestry requires application of conservation measures.