Petrokas, R. 2010. Prerequisites for the Reproduction of Wild Cherry (Prunus avium L.).  Baltic Forestry 16 (1):139-153 (Review Paper)

Owing to its considerable capacity of seed dispersal and rapid propagation through adventitious sprouts from the root system, Wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) behaves as a colonizing species of initial succession stages and during progressing succession of the local disturbance it may become a component of climax or close-to-climax mesophilous forest ecosystems. A policy of non-management, especially following winter storms, may help maintain genetic diversity of Wild cherry through increased levels of both sexual and clonal recruitment. The aim of this review is an overview on the state of the knowledge about management influences on reproductive strategy of Wild cherry within the scope of its phenological behaviour. The vegetative and generative phenological behaviour of Wild cherry occurring as the result of ontogenetic variations in the traits of the trees and their parts could be monitored and described and the role of management (or environment) influences in determining this behaviour could be related. Some of the hypotheses, which are to be discussed in the research of Wild cherry reproduction, are presented in detail.

Key words: management influences, phenological behaviour, Prunus avium, reproduction