SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF PUNICA GRANATUM L. COENOPOPULATIONS IN THE CONDITIONS OF NORTHERN AZERBAIJAN

: The results of studying the spatial structure, ontogenetic state, morphometric and coenotic parameters of 14 coenopopulations of wild pomegranate growing in different regions of Azerbaijan are presented. Abiotic and biotic factors that could affect the variability of the phytocenotic composition, ontogenetic state, morphological parameters, and density of coenopopulations of this species were shown. Our studies showed that the studied coenopopulations belong to normal mature coenopopulations, where the individuals of the generative period constitute the maximum (51%). The content of the postgenerative fraction is small (3.9-8%). The ontogenetic spectra of CPs I, III, VII, VIII, XI and XIV are right-handed, CPs II, V, X, XII - bimodal, CPs IV, VI, IX, XIII - left-handed. Age (∆) of the studied coenopopulations has a strong distribution amplitude from 0.22 (CP II) to 0.62 (CP XIV), efficiency indices range from 0.24 (CP II) to 0.67 (CP XIV). According to the “delta omega” criterion, three types of populations were obtained: young (CPs II, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, X, X, XII, XIII), transient (CPs I, III, VIII, XI) and aging (CP XIV). The value of the recovery index ranges from 0.14 (CP XIV) to 2 (CP VI). The most threatened state in CP XIV, because of the population is aging and unstable. The density of individuals in the studied coenopopulations ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 individuals per 100 m 2 . The length of the petiole, the length and width of the leaf blade have low variation coefficients. The greatest amplitude of variation among morphological features of the species is linear dimensions of the plant height and leaf area.