Effect of monthly precipitation on the radial growth of Pseudotsuga menziesii in northern Mexico

POMPA-GARCÍA MARÍN; RODRÍGUEZ-FLORES FELIPA DE JESUS; CERANO PAREDES JULIÁN; VALDEZ CEPEDA RICARDO DAVID; ROIG FIDEL ALEJANDRO

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

ACADEMIC JOURNALS

Lugar: ViCTORIA ISLAND; Año: 2013 vol. 8 p. 1636 - 1640

1991-637X

In the context of global climate change, water availability is an essential factor for geographical distribution and abundance of plant species. Pseudotsuga menziesii has been reported as a highly sensitive species to climatic variation and is regarded as a genetic resource of invaluable importance. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the specific effect of precipitation on radial growth throughout year for this species. From historical climate records and tree ring cores collected in Mexican northern forests, growth was correlated with monthly precipitation by standard statistical techniques. Results showed that P. menziesii was more susceptible to winter precipitation prior to the growing season. Low precipitation in winter makes the survival of these individuals vulnerable. In light of our results, direct implications for management strategies of P. menziesi, are discussed.