ATTITUDES OF ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS PRODUCERS TOWARDS NURSERY PRODUCTION OF ORNAMENTAL BEECH CULTIVARS IN SERBIA

: European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) is, along with its significance as a forest species, renowned as an ornamental species, due to its numerous cultivars. Ornamental beech culti vars are planted in various green spaces, but a small number of such trees have ascertained in Serbia. For the time being, production of beech cultivars is represented in a very small number of nurseries, with a negligible share of those seedlings in their total assortment. The aim of this research is to study the attitudes of ornamental trees and shrubs producers towards the nursery production of ornamental beech cultivars, and possibilities of its improvements in Ser bia. “Door to door” survey and in-depth interviews were used as research techniques. Surveys with the representatives of 65 nurseries in Serbia (in the selected statistical region Šumadija and Western Serbia) were conducted in the first stage of data collection. In the second stage of data collection were interviewed the representatives of the 10 nurseries who, during the survey, pointed out that they produce ornamental beech cultivars. Nurserymen’s attitudes suggest that there is a possibility to improve the production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia, with the appropriate support measures and increased interest of customers on the market, i.e. with the provision of subsidies for the production of seedlings and greater use of cultivars by utility companies in the cities of Serbia.


INTRODUCTION
High-quality planting material of different species and cultivars of trees and shrubs is, among other things, required for the management of various urban green spaces. Nurseries of ornamental trees and shrubs can directly affect the market supply of this type of planting material, because it is their task to produce quality seedlings for urban greening, with a properly-developed root system and the above-ground part (Grbić, 2010).
In Serbia, public forest enterprises, utility companies, environmental movement NGOs and nurseries in the private sector 1 are engaged in the production of ornamental trees and shrubs. With the development of the privatization process, in recent decades, there has been an increase in the number of private producers of ornamental planting material and development of nursery production as a whole (Ješić, 2015).
For the production of ornamental trees seedlings, very important are the production technology itself (Stilinović, Grbić, 1992;Grbić, 2010), the conditions for the development of production (climate, geothermal, etc.), which are favourable in Serbia, but also the knowledge of the most appropriate type of propagation of the selected species or cultivar.
Nursery production of ornamental trees and shrubs includes the propagation of various deciduous and coniferous species and cultivars, including cultivars of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), which are planted in parks, botanical gardens, arboreta, private gardens, residential gardens, as Abstract: European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is, along with its significance as a forest species, renowned as an ornamental species, due to its numerous cultivars. Ornamental beech cultivars are planted in various green spaces, but a small number of such trees have ascertained in Serbia. For the time being, production of beech cultivars is represented in a very small number of nurseries, with a negligible share of those seedlings in their total assortment. The aim of this research is to study the attitudes of ornamental trees and shrubs producers towards the nursery production of ornamental beech cultivars, and possibilities of its improvements in Serbia. "Door to door" survey and in-depth interviews were used as research techniques. Surveys with the representatives of 65 nurseries in Serbia (in the selected statistical region Šumadija and Western Serbia) were conducted in the first stage of data collection. In the second stage of data collection were interviewed the representatives of the 10 nurseries who, during the survey, pointed out that they produce ornamental beech cultivars. Nurserymen's attitudes suggest that there is a possibility to improve the production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia, with the appropriate support measures and increased interest of customers on the market, i.e. with the provision of subsidies for the production of seedlings and greater use of cultivars by utility companies in the cities of Serbia.

ATTITUDES OF ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS PRODUCERS TOWARDS NURSERY PRODUCTION OF ORNAMENTAL BEECH
Key words: ornamental beech cultivars, nursery production, nurserymen's attitudes, grafting individual trees, groups of trees, in the form of hedges, etc.
In 1964, Harvard University published a Registration list of cultivar names of Fagus L., which, even at that time included more than 100 different cultivars (Wyman, 1964).
The determination key for ornamental cultivars of European beech was presented by Puschner and Brus (2008), who described 76 different cultivars. They found the basis for developing the key in the work of Dönig, who described in his book the park and garden varieties of beech, which could be found in his family arboretum in Germany (Dönig, 1994). Hatch (2007) gave a detailed description of the majority of beech cultivars (more than 115).
Previous studies of ornamental beech cultivars, here and abroad, dealt with various topics 2 .
have been applied in Serbia. Such propagation allows permanently fixation of the combination of certain characteristics. However, until recently, detailed scientific researches on the vegetative propagation of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia (Nonić M., 2016) were missing. The vegetative way of producing plants is suitable for ornamental cultivars (Đukić et al., 2006), but an appropriate selection of starting material, based on the phenotypic manifestation of desirable characteristics, is also very important. The selection of parent trees in Serbia could be more suitable than a selection of starting material outside Serbia, because such trees are well adapted to the environmental conditions in this country (Nonić M., 2016).
The aim of this paper is to study the attitudes of the producers of ornamental trees and shrubs towards the nursery production of ornamental beech cultivars, and possibilities of its improvement in Serbia. The purpose of this paper is to give certain recommendations for the improvement of ornamental beech cultivars production, based on the analysis of its state and nurserymen's attitudes. The subject of this research are the attitudes of the representatives of the nurseries of ornamental trees and shrubs towards the production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia.

METHODS
The basic research methods applied in this paper were: analysis and synthesis, as well as induction and deduction. As a research scientific method, a statistical method was used for the processing of data collected by survey, while the qualitative analysis was applied in the analysis of data collected through interviews (Mihailović, 2012).
"Door to door" survey and in-depth interview were used as research techniques for data collection (Mihailović, 2012). SWOT analysis, as a technique of strategic management, was employed to investigate internal and external factors of production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia.
Data collection was conducted in two phases, in the period from July to November 2013. In the first phase of data collection (July 2013), the atti-tudes of nurserymen towards the production of ornamental beech cultivars in the selected region were examined. Thereafter the representatives of nurseries where the production of ornamental beech cultivars was present were selected. In the second phase of data collection (November 2013), those nurserymen were interviewed.
Stratified random sample and census were used in the research. For the selection of the nurseries, whose representatives were surveyed in the first phase of data collection, a stratified random sample was used, whereby the criteria for the division of the population into strata were an application for production control4.
In that period (July 2013), control of the production of reproductive material of forest and 4 In accordance with the Law on Forest Reproductive Material ( §21), "...producer of reproductive material shall submit to the Ministry an application for production control no later than 30 April of the current year" (2004). Control of the reproductive material production is done by the Ministry, which "...can entrust the expert tasks of production control to a company or other legal entity" (2004). Basic information (name, address, contact) of the nurseries were obtained from the internal documents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection-Directorate for Forests, which, at the time of the research, was responsible for production control in nurseries.
According to the submitted applications for production control, the Directorate keeps records on nurseries. The data used for this research are related to nurseries which, at the time of research (July 2013) were recorded in the internal documents of the relevant ministry. ornamental trees and shrubs was conducted by the Institute of Forestry from Belgrade. The total number of nurseries of ornamental trees and shrubs, by statistical regions5 in Serbia is shown in Table 1.
In the period of research, the largest number of the nurseries (Table 1) was in the region of Šumadija and Western Serbia, which is the reason why this statistical region was selected as an area for testing the attitudes of nurserymen towards the production of ornamental beech cultivars. During the first phase of data collection, control of the production of reproductive material was performed in 73 out of 145 registered nurseries. "Door to door" survey was conducted with representatives of 65 nurseries, who agreed 6 to participate in data collection.
The census was carried out in the second phase of data collection. The representatives of the nurseries who, in the first phase of the data collection, stated they produce beech cultivars were chosen for this phase. This means that the criterion for the selection of nursery representatives for the second phase of data collection was the existence of production of ornamental beech cultivars.
Data collection, in this research phase, was conducted in 10 nurseries 7 marked with codes R-1 to R-10 (Table 2).
For the purposes of data collection, two different questionnaires were created, and those were used to collect data through surveys and interviews as research techniques.

Statistical region Number of nurseries
Vojvodina 57

Belgrade region 22
Šumadija and Western Serbia 145

Southern and Eastern Serbia 31
Kosovo and Metohija -TOTAL 255 Source: Internal documentation of the Ministry of agriculture and environmental protection and the author's calculation Questionnaire used for the survey consisted of 21 questions, divided into 3 groups: 1. General information about the respondent; 2. General information about the nursery; 3. Data on production of ornamental beech cultivars. Questionnaire used for the interview included 40 questions, grouped into 6 sections: 1. General information about the respondent; 2. Data on the production of ornamental beech cultivars; 3. Data on rootstocks for grafting; 4. Data on scions for grafting; 5. Data on the success of grafting and further care of grafted plant; 6. Data on the sales of grafts and production improvement.
In the context of data processing, the completed questionnaires were primarily coded and a database was set in the program for crossspreadsheet. Afterwards, the data were transferred to the SPSS ver. 20 (2011) program, in which statistical analysis was performed.
Frequency analysis was used to determine the frequency of categorical variables. χ 2 test goodness-of-fit 8 was applied to examine the differences in the obtained and expected frequencies (Malhotra, 2007). In all cases, it was assumed 8 Results of χ 2 test goodness-of-fit can be interpreted, if at least 80% of cells have the expected frequency of 5 or more. that expected (hypothetical) frequency distribution was 50% : 50%, i.e. null hypothesis was that all proportions were equal (there is no statistically significant difference between the proportions) (Pallant, 2011). Data collected with qualitative interviews were analyzed with content analysis, and the obtained results were used for the SWOT analysis.
A multidisciplinary approach, which in this study was obtained by questionnaires and conducting surveys and interviews with producers of ornamental planting material in Serbia, significantly contributed to the perception of the state of ornamental beech cultivars production, as the basis for its further improvement.

RESULTS
This section presents the results of research of the attitudes of producers of ornamental trees and shrubs towards the production of ornamental beech cultivars and possibilities of its improvement in Serbia. The results of analysis of data collected by surveying are presented here, as well as the results of the qualitative analysis of the interviews, in order to provide an insight into the production of beech cultivars in Šumadija and Western Serbia. In addition, the results of a SWOT analysis are presented and analyzed.

Quantitative analysis of nurserymen's attitudes
Based on the results of the processing of data collected by survey, it was noted that the production of ornamental beech cultivars is represented in only 16.9% of the total number of analyzed nurseries. The majority (96.9%) of assortments in all nurseries are seedlings of ornamental trees and shrubs (Table 3).
There are differences in the size of nurseries that produce and those which do not produce ornamental beech cultivars. Production of these cultivars is implemented mainly in larger nurseries, of which 36.4% cover an area of 5.1-10 ha, and a little less than one half (45.5%) cover an area of 1-5 ha. On the other hand, more than a half (58.5%) of all analyzed nurseries (Table 3), occupy an area of less than 1 ha.
Most nurseries employ 1-5 workers. In terms of educational structure, about ¾ of employees (75.4%) have secondary education. The share of this staff in the nurseries that produce ornamental beech cultivars is even higher and amounts to 81.8%.
Slightly more than a half of the respondents (52.3%) showed interest in large scale production, compared to the current production of ornamental beech cultivars.
Representatives of all the nurseries that produce beech cultivars show interest in its large scale production in future. On the other hand, less than half (44.4%) of representatives of nurseries, which do not have ornamental beech cultivars in their assortment, pointed out their interest in large scale production of these plants in future. Table 3 shows the results of an χ 2 test goodness-of-fit employed for the total number of nurseries (χ 2 =0.385, df=1, p=0.535), as well as for the nurseries that do not produce ornamental beech cultivars (χ 2 =0.667, df=1, p=0.414). Those results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the observed groups of answers in all cases, except in the case of interest in large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars in the future. On the other hand, the results of the same test, applied for nurseries which produce ornamental beech cultivars, indicate that statistical significance between the answer groups exists only in the relation to product assortment and the educational structure of employees.
Based on the results related to production of ornamental beech cultivars (Table 4), it can be observed that the weeping beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula') is present in most nurseries (90.9%) engaged in such production. Copper beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea') is present in 72.7% of nurseries, while weeping purple beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Pendula') was recorded in 54.5% of the nurseries. Other cultivars are present in less than half the nurseries, where fastigiate beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck') 9 production is also present.
Three types of rootstock10 are used for grafting of beech in analysed nurseries: 1. rootstocks produced in a nursery from a seed of known origin; 2. rootstocks produced in a nursery from a seed of unknown origin; 3. rootstocks from a forest (natural offspring of beech). Based on the results shown in Table 4, it can be noted that 2-3-years-old rootstocks are mostly used (90.9%) for the grafting of beech, while the rootstocks older than 5 years are used in less than 10% of nurseries. Producers mostly (72.7%) collect scions from their own stoolbeds or procure them in gardens, parks, etc.
Most respondents (81.8%) stated that the interest of customers in ornamental beech cultivars is very small and that profitability of their production is low (72.7%). The main obstacle for large scale production of beech cultivars is the lack of customer's interest (81.8%). Other statistically significant obstacles (Table 4) are high costs of production (18.2%) and small grafting success (18.2%).
The results of the χ 2 goodness-of-fit test (Table  4) indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the groups of answers to the questions regarding: the assortment (Fagus sylvatica 'Zlatia', Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'), the age of rootstocks (1, 2-3, and more than 5 years), the source for the collection of scions (lined out seed- No obstacles 0.0 / * if <0.05, there is statistically significant diference between the observed groups of nurseries ** violated the assumption of minimum expected frequency in all cells (100% cells has expected frequency less than 5) Source: original lings), and the obstacles for large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars (small grafting success, high production costs, low interest in buying beech cultivars). This means that, when interpreting only these answers, one can talk about majority of them with statistical significance.

Qualitative analysis of nurserymen's attitudes
Based on the analysis of data collected through interviews with representatives of the nurseries which produce ornamental beech cultivars, it can be concluded that theshare of these cultivars is very low (about 5%) in the total assortment of those nurseries. They are the most common in the assortment of nursery R-1 (about 10%), and the least common in nurseries R-9 and R-10 (only 1% of the total assortment).
The most common beech cultivar is Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula', which is produced in 9 nurseries, while the cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Pendula' is produced in 8 nurseries. The production of the cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea Tricolor' is low in the analyzed nurseries, so "...only 2-3 pieces" were recorded in one nursery (R-3). In addition to the above, the analyzed nurseries produce columnar cultivars: Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Gold' and Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Purple', which are found in 3 nurseries, while the Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck' is present in the assortment of 5 nurseries. Cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Purple Fountain' is produced in 3 nurseries, while the production of cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Golden' has been recorded in only one nursery (R-3), whose representative said that the production is not for sale, but "...exclusively for their own purposes".
The commonly used method of copulation is the whip and tongue grafting method (in 6 analyzed nurseries), which proved to be adequate. The splice grafting method is successfully used in 2 nurseries, while cleft grafting was applied in only one nursery (R-10), whose representative pointed out that it "...it showed excellent reception".
Budding is rarely practiced (in 3 nurseries), but with pretty good success. It was usually performed in early spring (March), and depending on the used methods, there was also a certain difference in the time of grafting.
In most nurseries (7 of 10 nurseries), grafting was performed by the owners, while the representatives of 3 nurseries declared to hire a professional grafter.
Representatives of all nurseries confirmed that they use beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) as a rootstock for grafting. All respondents stated that they use rootstocks from the forest (natural offspring), while 5 representatives said they also use rootstocks produced in the nursery from seeds of unknown origin. For rootstocks from forest (natural offspring), the representative of nursery R-4 points out that he "...tried with these rootstocks, but there was poor progress (perhaps because of a root)", so that he was "...buying the rootstocks in nursery of "Srbijašume" (in Požega), but they no longer have it". He is planing to obtain them from Hungary, because "...they have excellent seedlings at a good price". Representative of nursery R-10 stated that he acquired rootstocks from "...own forest, which is near the nursery, near the river, at an altitude of about 230 m". He points out that this habitat fits rootstocks because "... they come from the forest which is not at a higher altitude". Rootstocks used for grafting are mostly 2-3 years old. However, the same type of rootstocks is not suitable for all beech cultivars. There are differences (mainly in the age of rootstocks), in relation to the cultivar that is produced. The representative of nursery R-1 explained that, for example, "...for the weeping beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'), which is being grafted higher onto rootstocks, we take rootstocks from the natural offspring at least 3-4 years old, which must be planted in the nursery for at least 2 years prior to grafting". In the nursery R-3, it was stated that there is a difference in age for certain types of cultivars, so "...for the cultivars 'Purpurea' and 'Tricolor' rootstocks are 2 years old, and for other cultivars 3-4 years old".
In the majority of nurseries (7 out of 10), grafting was applied on rootstocks which have been produced directly in the field. The advantage is that the rootstocks of this type generally have a well-developed root system and are adapted to environmental conditions. In the other 3 nurseries, rootstocks in containers or bare root rootstocks are grafted. Their use can speed up and facilitate the grafting process itself due to easier manipulation with rootstocks during the grafting. In addition, the use of rootstocks in containers can contribute to saving space in a nursery (due to the lack of open space for planting seedlings at appropriate distances).
Mother trees planted in the nursery, self-produced or purchased in other countries, are used as a source for collecting the scions in almost all nurseries (9 out of 10 nurseries). The existence of high-quality stoolbeds in nurseries is very important, not only in terms of providing adequate scions for grafting, but also due to the reduction of storage time of scionwoods (scionwoods can be collected immediately prior to grafting, which prevents them from drying). The representative of nursery R-2 stated that "...in the past, I was bringing the scions from Slovenia, Austria and the Netherlands", and now, "...I use plants from my own nursery". In 4 nurseries, the scions are collected immediately before grafting, while in other nurseries they keep them in different ways (they usually tie them in bundles and store them in refrigerators).
Regarding the grafts planting, 2 respondents stated that they graft bare root rootstocks and then plant the grafts in a nursery bed, while in 2 nurseries they plant them in containers. The representative of nursery R-3 stated that grafts remain in containers for 1-2 years and after this period they take them to a nursery plot intended for planting. In the nursery R-1 it was pointed out that the best results were achieved "...when the rootstocks are planted in containers (one year before grafting) and are grafted there", which is "... better than using the rootstocks growing in nursery beds, because of the lower grafts success rate (not even 10-15%)". The same respodnent pointed out that rootstocks in nursery beds "...must be planted at least a year ahead". This was confirmed by the representative of nursery R-2, who noted that "...it is the best to graft the rootstocks that are already in the nursery beds".
Respondents have different opinions on the grafting success. Average success in 10 nurseries, at the level of all mentioned cultivars is around 70%. In addition, it was pointed out that success depends both on the cultivar, grafting methods and weather conditions during the year in which the grafts are produced.
The representative of nursery R-3 stated that "...the grafting of cultivar 'Tricolor' is a little more difficult, and grafting of cultivar 'Purpurea' is good", while the grafting success of "...weeping and fastigiate beech ('Pendula' and 'Dawyck') is about 90%, and for purple weeping beech and purple fastigiate beech ('Purpurea Pendula' and 'Dawyck Purple') about 60%". In contrast to this attitude, the representative of nursery R-2 noted that "...it all depends on the characteristics of the year, first of all, on the humidity". He points out that "...the best success shows the cultivar 'Tricolor', around 70%". Similarly, in the nursery R-4, it was said that "...the ''Tricolor' is best produced (the grafting success >50%), and other cultivars have lower success (<40%)". In nursery R-1 it was also explained that "...the percentage varies greatly from year to year (whether the scions were much exposed to sunlight, etc.)", and that "...if the year is good, the reception can be up to 90%, and that in the next year, it can be less than 40%", although the grafters, conditions and the way of grafting remained the same. The representative of nursery R-6 pointed out that the success until 2013 "...was more than 60-70%", but, in that year, "...the reception was not even 20%". In nursery R-8 it was stated that the success was high (80-90%), but also that the grafts were "... once ruined by a very high temperature". In addition, success depends on the grafting method. The representative of nursery R-7 pointed out that, in their nursery, "...the success of budding is about 50%, and of whip and tongue grafting method sometimes only 10%".
Most of the respondents (6 nurseries) agreed with the view that, in terms of survival at the end of the first year and later, about 10% of grafts died. The same number of respondents said they encountered some problems during grafting, such as poor quality rootstocks, frost, high temperatures or pests, while in 4 nurseries they pointed out that there were no problems in the production of ornamental beech cultivars.
In all nurseries dropwise irrigation system, which is set in relation to weather conditions or adequate sprinklers. Different types of organic and chemical fertilizers are used for fertilization. Neither additional shade in summer nor extra protection in winter was provided for the plants.
Representatives of all nurseries believe that the interest of customers in ornamental beech cultivars is low. As the reasons, they stated unawareness of customers and their unfamiliarity with these cultivars, which all results in low demand in the market. The representative of nursery R-1 stated that "...the most customers are not familiar with beech cultivars until they see them in the nursery", and that "...there are not many of these seedlings, so even the landscape architects do not take them into account in the design". In nursery R-2 it was noted that the lack of interest is probably the result of "...the price because the seedlings are expensive" and that, perhaps, they could be sold, "...through utility companies". i.e. "...to have beech cultivars more planted on public green areas". The respondent from nursery R-5 stated that "...there is, mainly, demand for Copper beech", and the customers are usually "...the landscape architecture engineers, who design parks and gardens", which was confirmed by the respondent from nursery R-4, who noted that cultivars are required "...only by those who want to privately plant 1-2 trees or by professionals". The representative of nursery R-10 mentioned that "... the customers sometimes show an interest in cultivars 'Purpurea' and 'Tricolor", as well as that he would produce significantly more beech cultivars "...if the customers showed greater interest".
The respondents had diferent opinions in relation to the profitability of production of ornamental beech cultivars. On the one hand, they believe that the production itself is profitable, but that "...selling does not exist in our market" (representative of nursery R-2), as well as "...there are no well-known customers" (representative of nursery R-9), i.e. that they are "...hoping for a growing demand" (representative of nursery R-4). The representative of nursery R-10 stated that the production is profitabile, perhaps, "...only for export and beech cultivars should be kept in assortment", although "...it cannot be estimated how many, because there are no known customers". The representative of nursery R-8 believes that "... it is profitable to grow larger plants, which are lined out (for example, up to 3 m in height, which are 6-8 years old)". In nursery R-3 it was stated that "...it would be profitable to have large scale production of beech cultivars, only if there was a secured customer".
All respondents have shown interest in large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars, and some of them gave their plans for the production of these plants in future. Thus, for instance, in the nursery R-1 it was stated that they hope for a higher demand and that they have a plan "...to start with the large scale production".
According to the majority of respondents (7 nurseries), the main obstacle for the large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars is the problem of selling, i.e. the absence of market as well as weak demand. In nursery R-3, it was pointed out that the production "...requires adequate conditions (sprinkling, perhaps and shade, so the seedlings will have better growth and quality and be higher)". In addition, the representative of nursery R-6 stated that the main obstacles are: "... low grafting success, great sensitivity of the plants after grafting, high production costs, low interest in buying seedlings", while in nursery R-5 "... the lack of quality rootstocks" is considered an obstacle.
In terms of recommendations for improving the production of ornamental beech cultivars by grafting, the representative of nursery R-3 stated that it is necessary "...to introduce subsidies for production in order to motivate the producers who are interested to produce these cultivars". In addition, it was pointed out that ornamental beech cultivars should be more promoted among nursery professionals i.e. that "...the landscape architecture engineers should more often use ornamental beech cultivars in designing" (the representative of nursery R-3).
All this indicates that an individual approach in nursery production and the independent performance of producers in the market are mainly represented, which imposes the need for organized production, development of market potentials and an increase in joint participation in the market.

SWOT analysis of beech cultivars production in Serbia
The results of SWOT analysis of beech cultivars production in Serbia were determined on the basis of qualitative analysis of nurserymen's attitudes (Table 5).
The positive internal factors (strengths) include, above all characteristics relating to the technology of production of ornamental beech cultivars by grafting: • production of different beech cultivars (10 different cultivars); • high grafting success (an average of 70% for all cultivars); • use of scions from own stoolbeds (9 of 10 respondents as a source for collection of scions use mother trees in their own nursery).
On the other hand, negative internal factors (weaknesses) include: • representation of ornamental beech cultivars in the total assortment of nursery (very small representation, only about 5% in total assortments in analysed nurseries); • use of scions from unchecked stoolbeds (which does not ensure genetic uniformity of seedlings). Representatives of nurseries (9 of 10 nurseries), as a response to the question about the source of collecting scions, have indicated that they grow mother trees, mostly delivered from foreign nurseries (from Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, etc.), and that they do not know their true origin and whether they are produced by generative or vegetative propagation (which significantly affects the genetic uniformity of seedlings). Positive external factors (opportunities) are: • positive attitudes of nurserymen towards the large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars (all 10 representatives of nurseries answered positively to the question about the interest in production of ornamental beech cultivars on a larger scale in the future); • an increase of the sale volume, by providing a more stable market and production for a known customer (if, for example, utility companies buy more of the seedlings for management of various green spaces); • development of financial support measures (for example, the allocation of subsidies for production of ornamental beech cultivars, in order to increase the representation of beech Table 5. SWOT analysis of beech cultivars production in Serbia Strengths Weaknesses 1. The production of different beech cultivars in the analyzed nurseries 1. The small representation of ornamental beech cultivars in the total assortment of nursery 2. The high success of grafting 2. The stoolbeds are unchecked, which does not ensure the authenticity, or genetic uniformity 3. The existence of own stoolbeds in nurseries as ornamental species in public green areas in Serbia). Negative external factors (threats) include: • characteristics of sales, which include: -lack of information within customers and their low interest (all 10 respondents stated that customers are not interested in ornamental cultivars beech and that they are not sufficiently informed about the large number of these cultivars and their characteristics); -lack of markets and weak demand (respondents pointed to the problem of underdevelopment of the domestic market as well as the lack of secure customer); • characteristics of the production of ornamental beech cultivars by grafting, which include: -lack of high-quality rootstocks produced in nurseries in the country (5 of 10 respondents stated that they bought a 1-year old rootstocks in nurseries in Serbia, and were lining out them in their own nursery, while 2 respodnents imported lined out rootstocks from Hungary, while all respondents indicated they also use rootstocks from the natural offspring); -issue of production profitability (72,7% of respondents believe that the profitability of production is low); -dependence of production success on environmental conditions (frost, high temperatures, etc.). In addition to the grafting success in nurseries and the possibility of using scions from their own stoolbeds, with prior verification of their authenticity, positive attitudes of nurserymen towards the technology of ornamental beech cultivars production and their interest to increase the scale of production are also important. Greater application of beech cultivars in public green spaces would influence the growing need for their production. Thus, the production would be more profitable and the market more stable.
Planned production of beech rootstocks in nurseries in Serbia (from seed of known origin) can solve the problem of the lack of high-quality rootstocks, which represent an important component of production by grafting. This would be a better option than the purchase of beech seedlings from Hungary and other countries, which is now performed by nurserymen.
As an example, it can be stated that, according to the analyzed nurserymen's attitudes, beech rootstocks planted in the nursery beds for at least two years prior to grafting, gave better results compared to rootstocks that were grafted with bare root system. Similar was noted in the results of the previous research (Nonić M., 2016).
All three side grafting methods have shown more than 50% of success, and a method of wedge grafting about 26%. Jovanović (1971) concluded that the best success was recorded by using the rootstocks which were not cut at their top. The nurserymen recommended budding in August, which was applied in the studies of the same author, where it also showed satisfactory results (about 33% of grafts).
Grafting four different cultivars of European beech: Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula', Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicеa', Fagus sylvatica 'Zlatia' and Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor', was done in Slovenia, in order to determine the impact of different cultivars (source of scions) on the grafting success (Cerar, 2010). The author analysed the influence of the thickness of the rootstock, as well as the length and width of the scion on the grafting success. She concluded that there was no significant effect of these parameters on grafting success. The success of grafting is dependent on the cultivar, from which the scion were collected, as stated by respondents in this study. Cerar (2010) on the basis of her research, states that the greatest grafting success was when the scions from cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula' (80%) and Fagus sylvatica 'Zlatia' (78%) were used. The grafting success of cul-tivar Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicеa' was 50%, and the lowest success was noted for grafting with the scions of cultivar Fagus sylvatica 'Tricolor' (only 2%). Average grafting success at the level of all four cultivars was 52.5%.
In addition, the respondents noted that weather conditions during the year are very important for the grafting success of all cultivars, which was confirmed by a research of Nonić M. (2016). One nurseryman noted that in 2013 there was a very bad grafts success rate, less than 10%, due to an unfavorable year, which is consistent with a weak success rate of seedlings produced by grafting in a field experiment formed the same year, in the research of Nonić M. (2016). Dependence on weather conditions is a problem that companies in the forestry sector Stojanovska et al., 2012;Nonić D., 2015;Nedeljković, 2015) frequently experience. This is a very important feature of their business, especially if one bears in mind that the success of the enterprise often "...depends on the environment and access to important resources" (Boter, Lundström, 2005).
Although it can be concluded, based on the attitudes of nurserymen, that the ornamental beech cultivars are produced by vegetative propagation (grafting) in all the nurseries, there are studies that indicate the possibility of generative propagation of certain beech cultivars.
For example, Heinze, Geburek (1995) presented the results of an analysis of DNA markers, in conjunction with the gene responsible for the control of leaf color of Copper beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea'), whereby they applied generative propagation of this cultivar. Of the total number of young seedlings, 500 young seedlings were with red leaves, and 509 with green leaves. Among the young seedlings that had red leaves, variability in the intensity of the red color was found, which ranged in rank from extremely dark red to greenish with purple veins in shaded leaves.
As a barrier for large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars, respondents stated the lack of knowledge and lack of interest of customers, as well as the lack of a well-known market, which indicates a clear need for greater promotion of these cultivars. Similar results are reached by examining the attitudes of nurserymen involved in the production and sales of paulownia (Mačar, 2015). Respondents indicated that the main obstacles to more extensive nursery production of paulownia are ".. large investments, the lack of information about the paulownia as a species, the lack of professional research to improve the production of paulownia seedlings, and low market demand" (Mačar, 2015).
Research conducted with manufacturers and retailers of flowers and other ornamental plants indicates that "...many of them in their work (production and sales) face different problems, particularly selling and positioning in domestic and international markets" (Marinković et al., 2011). The problem of underdevelopment of the market is present within other companies in the forestry sector, such as, for example, small and medium enterprises based on non-wood forest products . The establishment of an association Nedeljković, 2015) or cluster (Marinković et al., 2011;Nedeljković et al., 2014), which would enable development and improvement of entrepreneurial business, was proposed as one of the possible solutions to the problem of selling and underdevelopment of the market.
The Society of Landscape Horticulture of Serbia 13 was founded in 2004 by various owners of 13 The association has over 150 members and is engaged in "...the protection of the quality of production and landscape horticulture activities; working on connecting professionals and producers; improving the professional and ethical standards; development of standards in the production of ornamental plants seedlings; cooperates with other organizations and associations of landscape horticulture and related activities in the country and abroad, who pursue at the same objectives and principles; organizes seminars, professional and scientific meetings, exhibitions and competitions of local and international character; organize publishing activities in the field of activities of the association" (Glavendekić, 2013). nurseries and experts in the field of landscape horticulture. In addition to this Society in Serbia founded the first Cluster of producers and retailers of ornamental plants "Plants United" in 2009. However, despite the presence of a large number of ornamental trees and shrubs nurseries and their interconnection, based on the analysis of nurserymen's attitudes, it can be concluded that the utilization of production capacity and market development remains insufficient.
In previous studies (Mačar, 2015), it was found that for the improvement of paulownia production "...critical is the expertise and knowledge of nursery production, as well as favorable loans for this activity". That was confirmed by this research, where respondents also emphasized the need to provide financial support measures for ornamental beech cultivars production.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the analysis of nurserymen's attitudes towards the production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia, the following conclusions can be drawn: • production of ornamental beech cultivars is realized mainly in larger nurseries (45.5%, in the area of 1-5 ha); • in most nurseries (90.9%) which produce beech cultivars weeping beech cultivar (Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula') is present; • rootstock for grafting in all nurseries is beech, and scions produced in nurseries from the seed of known and unknown origin, and from a forest are used for grafting; • respondents most commonly (72.7%) collect scions from their own stoolbeds or they purchase them in gardens, parks, etc.; • in all nurseries, beech cultivars are produced by grafting and different methods are applied: splice grafting method, whip and tongue grafting method, cleft grafting method, budding); • average grafting success, at the level of all cultivars, is around 70%, where the respondents pointed out that it depends on the cultivar, grafting methods and weather conditions during the year; • the most common problems in grafting, according to the respondents' views, are: low quality of rootstocks, frost, high temperatures or pests; • the majority of respondents (81.8%) believes that the interest of customers for beech cultivars is very small, and that the profitability of production of these cultivars is low (72.7% of respondents); • about ½ of all respondents (52.3%) showed an interest in the large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars, while the representatives of all nurseries, which are already engaged in the production of these plants, show an interest in large scale production in the future; • the basic obstacles to large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars are: the lack of interest of customers and the problem of selling (lack of markets and low demand). Based on the results of the SWOT analysis, it can be concluded that, for the realization of a large scale production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia, it is necessary to improve the awareness of potential customers of beech cultivars and public promotion of these plants at fairs and sales exhibitions.
Based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of nurserymen's attitudes towards the possibility of improving the production of ornamental beech cultivars in Serbia, it can be concluded that there are realistic conditions for that.
The representatives of nurseries believe that the significant increase in production of ornamental beech cultivars could happen, if there would be a greater interest in the market (through a more stable market and greater application of cultivars by city utility companies), as well as the development of appropriate support measures (through the provision of subsidies for the production of these seedlings).
Recommendations for improving the production and selling of ornamental beech cultivars, given by respondents can be grouped by: 1. recommendations regarding production technology: • application of whip and tongue grafting method or budding; • production at a higher altitude; • regular watering and fertilization of plants; • use of good seed material for the production of rootstock; • use of healthy scions (if one has good mother plants); 2. recommendations regarding the improvement of selling: • providing more stable market for the longer period of time; • allocation of subsidies for the production; Further research should examine the attitudes of selected nurserymen, as well as experts and decision makers in forestry and horticulture, towards the possibilities of further development and implementation of measures, establishment of a center for the procurement of quality scions of selected individual ornamental cultivars of tree species, as well as possible involvement of competent institutions that would monitor the production, give expert advice and guarantee for the quality of seedlings, which would allow for the improvement of their sales.