ISOENZYMATIC VARIABILITY IN SOME OF THE POLISH POPULATIONS OF NORWAY SPRUCE (PICEA-ABIES) IN THE IUFRO - 1972 PROVENANCE TRIAL

The isoenzymatic studies performed on nine Picea abies H. Karst popula tions from Poland, indicated considerable genetic variation among inve stigated stands. Genetic similarities have demonstrated a clear patter n of geographic variability. Three of the nine studied populations (Zw ierzyniec, Nowe Ramuki and Orawa) have shown markedly diverse characte ristics compared to the remaining populations. The mountain population s have formed one group with two related subgroups. The mean number of alleles per locus (A / L = 2,22) and level of heterozygosity (H-O = 0 ,194) for the lowland populations are within the range of these parame ters for other Norway spruce populations from Finland and Lithuania. T he populations from Carpathians and Sudety mountains are genetically m ore polymorphic (H-O = 0,221, A / L = 2,34) than the others. This patt ern of genetic variation suggests the existence of two gene pools, one from southern and one from northern Poland formed during the glacial period and differentiated further in southern Poland into two subpools .