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To address the issues of taxonomic delimitation and to select the material with desirable traits for horticultural use, a comprehensive study of the total variability of morphological characters of two naturally occurring snowdrop species (Galanthus nivalis L. and Galanthus elwesii Hook.) in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula was conducted. The analyses were performed for 16 quantitative characters of aboveground parts of 630 plants collected at 21 geographical points in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. To identify the trends in morphological differentiation, descriptive, univariate and multivariate statistical procedures were employed. Most of the examined characters exhibited moderate degrees of variability (cv from 10% to 20%) and the values of several characters exceeded the limits of variation stated in literature. Samples were mostly morphometrically homogeneous, with comparatively high similarity; only four populations of G. nivalis from the southern and southeastern part of the country were discrete. It is questionable whether these populations merit formal taxonomic recognition at any infraspecific level, but given their decorative qualities, the selected plants can be introduced into cultivation as horticultural plants.
To select woody fruit species for biomass cropping, a study of the carbon and nitrogen content of the bark and wood of five wild fruit species in Southwest Serbia was conducted. Compared with common hazel, wild cherry, walnut, and european pear, the european crab apple has a high potential for carbon and nitrogen storage, representing a promising fruit species for biomass production.
To select softwood broadleaves for biomass cropping, a study of the carbon and nitrogen content of the bark and wood of six softwood broadleaves in southwestern Serbia was conducted. Compared with white willow, european aspen, common alder, black poplar, and silver birch, goat willow has a high potential for carbon storage in bark and wood, representing a promising softwood broadleaf for biomass production.