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Articles by Curt Almqvist

Category : Research article

article id 23073, category Research article
Curt Almqvist. (2024). High stand density improves seed production in seed orchards of the masting species Picea abies. Silva Fennica vol. 58 no. 3 article id 23073. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.23073
Keywords: Norway spruce; thinning; cone production
Highlights: Cone production per tree in a Picea abies seed orchard is independent of stand density up to at least 800 stems ha–1; The higher the stand density, the higher per hectare cone production will be in the seed orchard.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Reproduction in masting species is characterised by long intervals between good cone and seed production years, and only sparse reproduction between mast years. The physiological mechanisms behind masting, and how these are linked to internal resource status and external weather factors, is still a subject of scientific exploration and debate, as is the effect of climate change on masting. This study investigates cone production in one operational seed orchard in Sweden which was established with two different spacings and has since been subject to three tree thinning experiments. The spacings before thinning varied between 800 and 400 stems ha–1, and then thinning reduced the stand density in all trials to half, i.e. between 400 and 200 stems ha–1. In all three experiments cone production per tree was equal in un-thinned and thinned treatments, both in mast years and in non-mast years. Thus, the cone production per unit area was twice as high in the un-thinned areas. The conclusion from these experiments is that the establishment of Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. seed orchards with wide tree spacing is both a misuse of good orchard locations and bad economics.

article id 7772, category Research article
Curt Almqvist. (2018). Improving floral initiation in potted Picea abies by supplemental light treatment. Silva Fennica vol. 52 no. 2 article id 7772. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.7772
Keywords: Norway spruce; seed production; flower stimulation; strobili initiation; indoor seed orchard
Highlights: Supplemental light treatment:
  • Increases the proportion of genotypes initiating reproductive buds.
  • Increases floral induction, especially of female floral buds.
  • Facilitates breeding programmes, and seed production of highly improved base material from new selections for vegetative production programmes, to be more efficient.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Light is an important environmental factor for all green plants. Its intensity, spectral composition and photoperiod can affect the regulatory pathways in plants that lead to floral initiation. In this report, results are presented from three experiments in which supplemental light with metal halide lamps (250 µmol m–2 s–1, 20 hours day–1, approx. 6 weeks) was tested as a complement to other flowering stimulation treatments (elevated temperature, treatment with gibberellin A4 and A 7 (GA4/7), restricted water supply) applied to potted Picea abies (L.) Karst. in the greenhouse. Flower stimulation in a greenhouse resulted in more floral initiation compared to flower stimulation outdoors. Supplemental light treatment increased floral initiation further, and to a larger extent in female than in male flowers. It also increased the proportion of trees and genotypes that induced reproductive buds. In a practical application of the supplemental light treatment to potted Picea abies breeding material, 90.6% of the clones produced either female or male flowers, or both. A subset of the same material kept outdoors, and thus subjected to natural light and temperatures, produced no flowers despite being treated with GA4/7 and receiving a restricted water supply. In conclusion, supplemental light treatment facilitates breeding programmes, and seed production of highly improved base material from new selections for vegetative production programmes, to be more efficient.

  • Almqvist, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, 751 83 Uppsala, Sweden ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5739-4854 E-mail: curt.almqvist@skogforsk.se (email)
article id 1243, category Research article
Curt Almqvist, Gunnar Jansson. (2015). Effects of pruning and stand density on cone and pollen production in an experimental Pinus sylvestris seed orchard. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 4 article id 1243. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1243
Keywords: spacing; seed orchard management; crown management; seed production
Highlights: Pollen production of Pinus sylvestris began at the same age for all studied stand density and pruning height combinations but increased more rapidly at higher densities; Treatments with dense spacing increased seed production earlier; Many combinations of stand density and target height gave comparable levels of seed production, yielding a wide range of viable management options.
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Seed orchards are the link between tree breeding and reforestation. This paper presents data on cone, seed and pollen production and seed quality gathered over 21 years in a Pinus sylvestris (L.) experimental seed orchard containing plots with 14 different combinations of stand density and targeted pruning height. The treatments’ stand densities ranged from 267 to 4000 stems ha-1, and the target graft heights ranged from 2 to 6 meters. Pollen production began at the same orchard age for all studied combinations of stand density and target height but the level of pollen production per hectare increased more rapidly in treatments with higher stand densities. In treatments with dense spacing, cone and seed production initially increased more rapidly than in treatments with wider spacing, thereby providing an earlier return on investment and a shorter seed production lag time. However, the levels of cone and seed production in such treatments over the entire study period were not appreciably different to those achieved in treatments with wider spacing and higher target height. The treatments did not differ substantially with respect to seed quality. These results show that comparable levels of seed production can be obtained with different combinations of stand density and target height, giving seed orchard owners and managers a wide range of viable management options.

  • Almqvist, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: curt.almqvist@skogforsk.se (email)
  • Jansson, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: gunnar.jansson@skogforsk.se
article id 139, category Research article
Ulf Sikström, Curt Almqvist, Gunnar Jansson. (2010). Growth of Pinus sylvestris after the application of wood ash or P and K fertilizer to a peatland in southern Sweden. Silva Fennica vol. 44 no. 3 article id 139. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.139
Keywords: fertilization; wood ash; nitrogen; ammonium nitrate; forest yield; needle element concentrations; potassium chloride; raw phosphate
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The effects of the application of wood ash and of fertilizer regimes including phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), with and without simultaneous addition of nitrogen (N), were investigated on a stand of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) saplings growing on a drained oligotrophic peatland site in southern Sweden. A randomized block design was used. Tree growth and concentrations of various elements in the needles were measured. The addition of similar doses of P (approx. 40 kg P ha–1) from different sources resulted in similar growth responses, amounting to 1.6–1.9 m3 ha–1 yr–1 of stem wood over the 26-year study. The P source was either wood ash (2500 kg d.w. ha–1) or PK-fertilizer (raw phosphate and potassium chloride). In response to several treatments there were both increased numbers of trees and increased growth of individual trees. The high PK-dose (40 kg P ha–1 and 80 kg K ha–1) appeared to result in a larger growth increase than the low dose (20 kg P ha–1 and 40 kg K ha–1). The N treatment had no additional effect on growth. In the control plots, tree growth was more or less negligible (0.04 m3 ha–1 yr–1). After almost 26 years, concentrations of P and K in the needles of treated plants were still higher than in the untreated control plants. Nevertheless, in spite of the elevated P concentration, P appears to limit the growth of Scots pine. In conclusion, after sufficient drainage of this type of peatland site, it is possible for a forest stand to develop to the pole stage if wood ash or PK-fertilizer is applied.
  • Sikström, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: ulf.sikstrom@skogforsk.se (email)
  • Almqvist, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: ca@nn.se
  • Jansson, Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: gj@nn.se
article id 518, category Research article
Mats Hannerz, Curt Almqvist, Roland Hörnfeldt. (2002). Timing of seed dispersal in Pinus sylvestris stands in central Sweden. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 4 article id 518. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.518
Keywords: natural regeneration; Scots pine; seed fall
Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info
The objective of the study presented here was to describe the variation in timing of seed dispersal from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seed trees in central Sweden. Seeds were collected in traps at two sites, for three years at one, and four years at the other . The traps were emptied from March to August each year at 1–2 week intervals during the main period of seed dispersal. The annual seed fall varied between 200 000 and 1.6 million seeds per hectare. The seed fall started in mid to late April, shortly after the heat sum had started to accumulate. The most intensive seed fall took place in early to mid May. The peak period, when 50% of the total seed dispersal occurred, lasted for 18–28 days at the different sites and years. The variation in timing among years seemed to be mainly due to climatic factors – high temperatures promoted seed dispersal, for instance. The results may be useful for planning the time of scarification to optimise the natural regeneration of Scots pine. The data suggest that scarification in the spring, no later than mid-May, would generally create a good seed-bed for most of the current year’s seeds, whereas scarification in late May or June would bury a large proportion of this cohort.
  • Hannerz, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (SkogForsk) Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: mats.hannerz@skogforsk.se (email)
  • Almqvist, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (SkogForsk) Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: ca@nn.se
  • Hörnfeldt, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Forest Products and Markets, P.O. Box 7060, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden E-mail: rh@nn.se

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