scholarly journals Performance and Phenotypic Stability of Norway Spruce Provenances, Families, and Clones Growing under Diverse Climatic Conditions in Four Nordic Countries

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Tore Skrøppa ◽  
Arne Steffenrem

Genetic variation and phenotypic stability in Norway spruce were studied based on provenances, families, and clones planted in trials at 12 sites in four Nordic countries. The families were generated in a factorial cross between 10 parents of Norwegian origin and 10 parents of Eastern European origin, and the clones were propagated from seedlings within 20 of the same families. Traits analyzed were survival, proportion of trees with stem defects, and tree heights. Stability was analyzed by regression analyses with the genetic entries’ annual shoot increment as the dependent variable and the total site mean as an environmental index. Information about growth and phenology traits were available from short-term tests. For tree heights, significant variance components were present both among female and male parents, but not for their interactions, indicating that non-additive genetic effects are small. Genotype × environment interactions were significant at all three genetic levels, but their variance components had considerably lower values than the variance components estimated for the effects of families and clones. For the set of families of Norwegian origin, strong relationships were observed between the timing of annual shot elongation, mortality, and height growth. Large variation was found at all three genetic levels for phenotypic stability measured by regression coefficients. A positive relationship was present between the regression coefficient and the timing of annual shoot growth for families, indicating that later flushing families responded more to a high site index. The regression coefficient can be a useful supplement to the breeding value when selecting for superior and stable genotypes.

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert W. Brascamp ◽  
Piter Bijma

Abstract Background In honey bees, observations are usually made on colonies. The phenotype of a colony is affected by the average breeding value for the worker effect of the thousands of workers in the colony (the worker group) and by the breeding value for the queen effect of the queen of the colony. Because the worker group consists of multiple individuals, interpretation of the variance components and heritabilities of phenotypes observed on the colony and of the accuracy of selection is not straightforward. The additive genetic variance among worker groups depends on the additive genetic relationship between the drone-producing queens (DPQ) that produce the drones that mate with the queen. Results Here, we clarify how the relatedness between DPQ affects phenotypic variance, heritability and accuracy of the estimated breeding values of replacement queens. Second, we use simulation to investigate the effect of assumptions about the relatedness between DPQ in the base population on estimates of genetic parameters. Relatedness between DPQ in the base generation may differ considerably between populations because of their history. Conclusions Our results show that estimates of (co)variance components and derived genetic parameters were seriously biased (25% too high or too low) when assumptions on the relationship between DPQ in the statistical analysis did not agree with reality.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Skrøppa ◽  
Ketil Kohmann ◽  
Øystein Johnsen ◽  
Arne Steffenrem ◽  
Øyvind M. Edvardsen

We present results from early tests and field trials of offspring from two Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seed orchards containing clones that have been transferred from high altitudes to sea level and from northern to southern latitudes. Seedlings from seeds produced in the low-altitude seed orchard developed frost hardiness later at the end of the growth season, flushed later in field trials, and grew taller than seedlings from seeds produced in natural stands. They had the lowest mortality rate and the lowest frequency of injuries in the field trials. Similar results were observed in seedlings from seeds produced in the southern seed orchard. We found no adverse effects of the changed growth rhythm. Seedlings from two seed crops in the southern orchard, produced in years with a warm and a cold summer, had different annual growth rhythms. The results are explained mainly by the effects of the climatic conditions during the reproductive phase. Seed crops from different years in the same seed orchard may produce seedlings that perform as if they were from different provenances. It is argued that the effects of the climatic conditions during seed production must contribute to the variation among provenances of Norway spruce.


1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1223-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo de Souza Gonçalves ◽  
Alberto Kazutoshi Fujihara ◽  
Altino Aldo Ortolani ◽  
Ondino Cleante Bataglia ◽  
Nelson Bortoletto ◽  
...  

Rubber tree [Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. de Juss.) Müell. Arg.] budgrafts of seven clones were evaluated on five contrasting sites in the plateau region of the São Paulo State, Brazil. The objective of this work was to study the phenotypic stability for girth growth. The experimental design was a randomized block design with three replications and seven treatments. Analysis of variance of girth at six-year plant growth indicated a highly significant clone x site interaction. Only linear sites and clone x site components of clone x year interaction were significant, indicating that the performance of clones over sites for this trait could be predicted. The clones GT 1 and PB 235 showed the greatest stability in relation to girth growth, with foreseen responses to change, introduced in the sites. The clones PB 235 and IAN 873 showed significative difference in relation to regression coefficient, representing clones with specific adaptability on favorable and unfavorable sites respectively. The clone GT 1 became the most promissory one in the study of stability and adaptability even showing low girth growth. Expected genetic gains from planting sites, along with estimates of clonal variance and repeatability of clonal means are generally greatest or close to the greatest when selection is done at the same site.


Author(s):  
Astor Toraño Caicoya ◽  
Hans Pretzsch

The Site Index (SI) has been widely used in forest management and silviculture. It relies on the assumption that the height of dominant trees in a stand is independent from the local density. However, research on climate change suggests that under certain moisture stress conditions, this may not hold. Here, based on 29 plots from 5 long-term research experiments, we have tested the effect of local stand density on the SI of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst). With generalized additive models (GAMM), we analyzed the effect of stand structure and climate predictors on SI. The two evaluated models revealed that local stand density and age had a significant effect on SI (p≤0.001 ), showing a clear negative trend especially significant on sites with poor and dry soils, which may reduce the site index by a maximum of approximately 4 m for an increase in density between 400 and 600 trees/ha. We stress that the physiological characteristics of Norway spruce, flat-rooting system and xeromorphism, especially when growing in pure stands, may explain these effects. Thus, density control and growth in mixtures may help to reduce the water stress and losses in height growth under future climate conditions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 166 (6) ◽  
pp. 399-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Moser ◽  
Marek Metslaid ◽  
Lorenz Walthert ◽  
Ulrich Wasem ◽  
Thomas Wohlgemuth

Regeneration potential of different Scots pine and Norway spruce provenances under variable drought Rising temperatures will lead to extended periods of summer drought, which may challenge the persistence of Scots pine and Norway spruce in dry alpine valleys where these species play an important role in the protection against natural hazards. We tested whether the natural regeneration of the two species in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland, might be limited under future climatic conditions and we compared the performance of autochthonous provenances with that of seedlings originating from regions with already drier summer climate such as the Rhone valley, continental Eastern Europe or the Mediterranean basin. Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland. Soil moisture was manipulated to a minor extent with throughfall reduction roofs. In both species, regeneration success was primarily driven by the weather conditions during the three months following seed sowing: the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011. In years with an average or even positive water balance, Scots pine seedlings were able to establish at all sites. In Norway spruce, by contrast, establishment rate exceeded 10% of viable seeds only at the site with the highest water retention capacity. In years with a positive water balance during spring, the seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances, while no differences between provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011. We suggest that periodical regeneration of Scots pine will be likely in the Rhine valley even under future climatic conditions, whereas the establishment of Norway spruce may remain an exceptional event in dry, south-exposed clearings.


1989 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Gordon ◽  
Peter A. Williams ◽  
Edward P. Taylor

Abstract Four dominant or codominant Norway spruce trees from each of 55 sites were destructively sampled and the annual height growth determined by stem analysis. The sampled sites were stratified by soil textural class (coarse, medium, and fine) and depth to distinct mottling (0-16, 16-40, and 40 in.). Two sets of an-amorphic site index curves were constructed using a total age of 30 years (SI30), and breast height age of 25 years (SIBH25) as base ages. The mean SI30 from Ontario (53 ft) was found to be 17.8% higher than the mean values published from Vermont (45 ft) and currently used in Ontario. SIBH25 values had a range of 34.6 to 74.8 ft with a mean of 55.3 ft. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in SIBH25 due to soil texture and drainage class, and in years to breast height (BH) due to drainage class. SIBH25 was highest on sites with loamy soils and distinct mottling at 16-40 in. It took an average of 6.5 years for seedlings to reach BH with a range of 3 to 12 years. Years to BH was lowest on sites with sandy soils and those with distinct mottling below 40 in. North. J. Appl. For. 6(1):23-26, March 1989.


2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 17-23
Author(s):  
Rożkowski KR

This is the first report on measurements and observations of an experimental plot of 35-year-old Norway spruce, established in 1970 by the Institute of Dendrology at K&oacute;rnik, where progenies of 22 plustrees from the Kłodzko Forest District were planted. The experiment was established in an incomplete block design of 20 families with 3 replications. Survival rate and growth traits determining productivity (plant height or basal area &ndash; stem cross-sectional area at breast height per 1&nbsp;ha) were assessed in several years, and qualitative traits (trunk straightness; degree of natural pruning; thickness, length and angle of branches; crown density; presence of galls caused by the aphids Adelges laricis Vall. and Sacchiphantes viridis Ratz.) were evaluated once in 2001. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the half-sib families in survival rate and productivity but no significant differences in qualitative traits. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between trunk straightness at the age of<br />&nbsp;36 years and height of 2-year-old seedlings in the nursery, and between the degree of natural pruning at the age of 36 years and both tree height at the age of 9 years and basal area at the age of 13 years.


2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 648-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Routa ◽  
A Kilpeläinen ◽  
V -P Ikonen ◽  
A Asikainen ◽  
A Venäläinen ◽  
...  

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine how intensified silviculture affects timber production (sawlogs and pulpwood) and its economic profitability (net present value [NPV], with 2 per cent interest rate) based on forest ecosystem model simulations. The study was conducted on Norway spruce and Scots pine stands located on medium-fertile upland forest sites under middle boreal conditions in Finland, under current climate and minor climate change (the RCP2.6 forcing scenario). In intensified silviculture, improved regeneration materials were used, with 10–20 per cent higher growth than the unimproved materials, and/or nitrogen (N) fertilization of 150 kg ha−1, once or twice during a rotation of 50–70 years. Compared to the baseline management regime, the use of improved seedlings, alone or together with N fertilization, increased timber production by up to 26–28 per cent and the NPV by up to 32–60 per cent over rotation lengths of 60–70 years, regardless of tree species (although more in spruce) or climate applied. The use of improved seedlings affected timber yield and NPV more than N fertilization. Minor climate change also increased these outcomes in Scots pine, but not in Norway spruce.


2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aklilu Shimeles

Seven true seed shallot lines were evaluated for 3 years at 3 locations to determine their performance and stability. Stability differences were assessed on the basis of linear regression of the lines on environmental index and on deviation from linear function along with the mean yield. The combined analysis showed that bulb yield over 9 environments ranged from 15.1 to 17.5 t ha-1 with overall mean yield of 16.5 t ha-1, and lines Vethalam, Tropix, Dz-94 and Athlas gave the highest mean yield. The combined analysis of variance showed significant (p<0.05) genotype and genotype by environment effects on bulb yield. The regression coefficient for bulb yield ranged from 0.72 to 1.36. The regression coefficient of two high yielding lines (Vethalam and Athlas) was above 1, and was higher in environments where growing conditions were favorable. High and significant deviations were obtained for lines Tropix and Athlas and these lines were found unstable to change in environment. However, line Tropix showed specific adaptation to low yielding environments of Kulumsa and Melkassa. The best line Vethalam with a small deviation from regression was found widely adaptable to different environments and it was released with local name ?Yeras? to be grown in Rift Valley and similar areas in Ethiopia.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Rosner ◽  
Birgit Kartusch

Seasonal production of lenticel tissues was compared between Norway spruce trees (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) from a mountain site (1200 m), where they are autochthonous, and seven allochthonous lowland sites (250–600 m).The periodic changes of lenticel structure were grouped into four stages, based on the degree of their opening: phase 1 - winter dormancy; phase 2 - beginning of meristem activity in spring; phase 3 - production of non-suberised filling tissue in early summer, which causes the disruption of the closing layer formed in the previous growing season; and phase 4 - differentiation of a new closing layer in late summer. Structural changes in lenticels of P. abies may be interpreted as a long-term reaction to climatic conditions, balancing transpiration and respiration. During the most active period of wood production, lenticels were found in their most permeable phase, phase 3. The production of a new closing layer takes place when summer temperatures reach maximum values, and when demand for effective regulation of transpiration is high. During phase 4 transpiration is successfully controlled because differentiating cells of the new closing layer are already suberised, although not in their final rounded shape, and therefore have small intercellular spaces. High annual variability in stratification of lenticel tissues, such as the proportion between closing layer and filling tissue, wall thickening and size of intercellular spaces, also indicates possible long-term regulation mechanisms for transpiration.


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