Assessment of the seed productivity of Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel in the conditions of the Far North and equivalent territories

Background. Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila) has an extensive range (about 6 million km2), occupying the first place among the five-coniferous pines. Pinus pumila plays an important ecological and economic role due to its high adaptability to extreme conditions and valuable properties of seeds rich in biologically active compounds. Materials and methods. The morphometric parameters of cones, the number of fertile and sterile scales, as well as the proportion of developed and underdeveloped seeds were determined during the study. The conducted studies revealed that the size of cones in the Irkutsk region exceeded those in Chukotka by 15–26 %. At the same time, the indicators of seed productivity in the Chukotka Autonomous Region were statistically slightly higher (67–92 % versus 69–86 % in the Irkutsk Region). The maximum yields were recorded in 2020 and 2022, while in 2023 there was a decrease in the level of fruiting. It was found that the proportion of morphologically underdeveloped seeds in the Chukotka Autonomous District was higher, which was probably due to the combined effects of adverse climatic factors and anthropogenic environmental pollution. Results and conclusions. The results of the study confirm the high seed productivity of Siberian dwarf pine, despite the extreme growing conditions. The data obtained has implications for reforestation, landscaping, and biodiversity conservation in the northern regions, as well as for use in pharmacology and medicine.