a contribution to the study of hackberry (celtis occidentalis l.) juvenile stage of development

Seed material for the study of hackberry characters and variation in the juvenile stage of development was collected in the micropopulations on the territory of the town Sombor. The study results refer to different stages of early ontogeny, which are presented at 7 levels. The observed variation at the levels of seeds, seedlings, 1-year-old and 2-year-old plants, as well as the high i.e. low values of the analysed morphometric characters of individual half-sib lines, are a good base for the study and the adequate utilisation of the species genetic potential, in harmony with the basic principles of breeding and the enhancement of reproductive material quality.