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To better guide Cedruslibani provenances movement to northerly and higher-altitude sites for afforestation, the limits of hardiness to cold should be better known. In this study, we quantified the cold hardiness of seven C.libani provenances sampled from a provenance trial in Ankara, Türkiye, a site located outside the natural range of distribution of the species. Visual damage observation and chlorophyll fluorometry screening methods were used to assess variation in cold hardiness (LT50, the temperature estimated at which 50% of the needle tissue is damaged) among populations. Overall, C.libani can tolerate winter temperatures down to − 21.5 °C. Even though there were significant differences in cold hardiness among populations, the maximum difference was only 1.9 °C between the most and the least cold-resistant provenances. Cold tolerance was generally greater for provenances that experienced colder temperatures in March and lower levels of total precipitation in their native ranges. We also conclude that the fluorometry method provides a more efficient and stable comparison of cold hardiness than visual observation for C.libani. The results of this study may be useful for assisted migration and breeding programs, as well as for developing guidelines for genetic materials transfer, to increase productivity or adaptability of C.libani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the potential acaricidal and repellent effects of tar obtained from the Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) against the brown dog tick species Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato Latreille (Acari: Ixodidae). The goal was to find an alternative, safe, and effective way to eliminate ticks. Tar is traditionally extracted from cedar trees in the Antalya region of Türkiye. The composition of the tar is primarily characterized by a diverse mixture of terpenes, with β-himachalene (29.16%), α-atlantone (28.7%), ar-turmerone (8.82%), longifolene-(V4) (6.66%), α-himachalene (5.28%), and β-turmerone (5.12%) emerging as the predominant constituents. The toxic effects of tar on tick larvae were studied through larval immersion tests (LIT), and its repellent activity was evaluated using a new larval repellent activity test (LRAT). The results revealed significant acaricidal effects, with mortality rates of 77.7% and 82.2% for the Konyaalti and Kepez strains of the brown dog tick, respectively, in response to a 1% concentration of tar. LC50 and LC90 values were determined as 0.47% and 1.52% for the Kepez strain and 0.58% and 1.63% for the Konyaalti strain, respectively. When comparing the repellent effect of tar to the widely used synthetic repellent DEET, repellency rates of up to 100% were observed. As a result, this study establishes, for the first time, the larvicidal and repellent effects of C. libani tar on ticks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]