The effect of crown form and plagiotrophy on the growth of Picea abies f. pendula cuttings

Seven‐year old cuttings of pendula spruce were taller and had larger diameters than seedlings or cuttings of Norway spruce of normal crown type. Pendulous cuttings still had plagiotropic growth at age 7 years and the rate of change to orthotropic growth form was weaker than in cuttings with normal crown type. In pendulous cuttings the effect of the origin of ortet and clone on the crown symmetry was significant at age 5 years but not at age 7 years. The effect of clone on the growth form was evident at ages 5 and 7 years, but the effect of the origin of ortet was significant only in 7‐year‐old cuttings. There were no differences in plagiotrophy between clones from 4‐ and 7‐year‐old ortets. For pendulous cuttings the average height and diameter growth decreased in 5‐ and 6‐ year‐old cuttings with less pendulous crown form and with more plagiotropic growth form but this decrease had almost disappeared in 7‐year‐old cuttings.