Morpho-anatomical properties and terpene composition of Picea Omorika (Pančić) Purk. needles from Bosnia and HerzegovinaNikolić, Biljana M. (Avtor) Mitić, Zorica S. (Avtor) Ballian, Dalibor (Avtor) Todosijević, Marina M. (Avtor) Nikolić, Jelena S. (Avtor) Ivanović, Stefan (Avtor) Tešević, Vele (Avtor) Picea omorikaSerbian sprucepopulationmorpho-anatomyterpenesmultivariate statisticsfirst_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Morpho-Anatomical Properties and Terpene Composition of Picea Omorika (Pančić) Purk. Needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina by Biljana M. Nikolić 1,*ORCID,Zorica S. Mitić 2ORCID,Dalibor Ballian 3,4,5ORCID,Marina M. Todosijević 6ORCID,Jelena S. Nikolić 2ORCID,Stefan Ivanović 7ORCID andVele V. Tešević 6ORCID 1 Institute of Forestry, Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding, Seed and Nursery Production, Kneza Višeslava 3, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 2 Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000 Niš, Serbia 3 Faculty of Forestry, University of Sarajevo, Zagrebačka 20, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 5 Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bistrik 7, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12–16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 7 Laboratory of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, Institute for Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Forests 2025, 16(5), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050791 Submission received: 1 April 2025 / Revised: 6 May 2025 / Accepted: 7 May 2025 / Published: 8 May 2025 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Specialized Metabolites and Structure of Woody Plants) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk., (Serbian spruce) is a relic, endemic, and vulnerable conifer that remains insufficiently studied to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the morpho-anatomical and phytochemical diversity of needles from three populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The length of two-year-old needles was measured with a digital caliper. The next six properties were measured based on cross-sections of the needles using a light microscope. An analysis of volatile compounds was carried out using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The highest values of needle traits were found in the Viogor population, with the lowest in the Tisovljak population, which was statistically confirmed. There was also a significant difference between needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina and those from Serbia. Bornyl acetate, camphene, limonene, and α-pinene were identified as the major terpene compounds. Multivariate analyses also suggested a tendency toward the separation of the Tisovljak population. A statistical comparison of three Bosnian and Herzegovinian and four Serbian populations (previously studied and published) revealed two distinct groups: (1) three Bosnian populations and the Vranjak population from Serbia, and (2) three populations from Serbia—Štula, Zmajevački Potok, and Mileševka Canyon. The general conclusions are that divergence in needle morpho-anatomy aligns with divergence in needle chemistry and that Bosnian and Herzegovinian populations are distinct from nearly all Serbian populations.20252026-02-26 15:15:01Znanstveno delo27892sl