Comparative analysis of one-year-old oak seedlings grown in two commercial containers

Container characteristics can influence seedling morphology and quality by affecting root development and seedling growth during nursery production. This study evaluated the effects of two container types, Plantagrah and Hiko, on the morphology and quality of one-year-old seedlings of Quercus frainetto, Q. petraea, and Q. pubescens. Twenty seedlings per species and container type were randomly selected. Morphological traits, dry mass traits, rooting intensity (ROIN), and Dickson Quality Index (DQI) were assessed. The effects of species, container type, and their interaction were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, while multivariate variation was explored using principal component analysis (PCA). Significant differences among species were observed for most measured traits. Quercus petraea generally exhibited the greatest diameter, height, and seedling dry mass, whereas Q. frainetto showed the lowest values for most growth-related traits. Container type significantly affected diameter, fine root dry mass, total root dry mass, H/D index, and DQI. Seedlings grown in Hiko containers exhibited larger diameters, greater root biomass, lower H/D values, and higher DQI values than seedlings grown in Plantagrah containers. Significant interactions between species and container type were detected only for shoot:root ratio, indicating that container effects were generally consistent across species. PCA showed clearer separation among species than among container types. The results indicate that container type influences several important indicators of seedling quality and that Hiko containers provide favorable conditions for the production of high-quality seedlings of the studied oak species during the first nursery year.