The collection of spruces (Picea A. Dietr.) in the botanical garden of the Ural Federal University

The collection of woody plants is containing 12 species, 3 varieties and 7 cultivars of spruces (Picea A. Dietr.) in the botanical garden of the Ural Federal University. This collection can be the source of a new ornamental plants for landscaping, and also for carbon sequestration, for example, to creating carbon farms in the Middle Urals. The conifers can be a reliable system for reducing the greenhouses effect by long-term storage the carbon in their wood. The studies of shoots growth showed that species are not uniform in reaction on a variability of weather condition. The analysis indicated that main meteorological parameters to influence on beginning of shoots growth is sum of effective tempera-tures, but in time the ending of growth is determinate by sum of precipitation in addition to temperatures. The cluster analysis indicated that taxonomically relative species had a similar pigments composition of needles. The various age needles contained a different sums of the pigments. The three-years needles contained in 1.3 times more chlorophylls than one-years needles, so one gives a more functional contribution in the photosynthesis activity. The maximum con-tain of chlorophyll was found in the three-years needles of Korean spruce (Picea koraiensis Nakai) – 2.96 mg/g on dry weight. The ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b in the most measures more than 1.5, so it means a sufficient light regime for plants under conditions in the botanical garden. The eight species of spruces can be recommended for land-scaping in Yekaterinburg and the native species for a carbon farms.