Leena Ryynänen, Anneli Viherä-Aarnio. (1995). Growth, crown structure and seed production of birch seedlings, grafts and micropropagated plants. Silva Fennica vol. 29 no. 1 article id 5542. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a9193

Keywords: Betula pendula; silver birch; flowering; micropropagation; seedlings; seed orchards; seed production; grafts

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Growth, crown structure, flowering and seed production of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings, grafts and micropropagated plants was compared during four years in a polythene greenhouse experiment. The growth of the seedlings was clearly the most vigorous and that of the grafts the weakest, the micropropagated plants being intermediate. The seedlings had the highest and the grafts the lowest number of branches before cutting the tops of the plants, but the differences between the material types were no more significant after cutting the tops. The grafts had significantly shorter and thinner branches than the seedlings and the micropropagated plants, whereas the differences in branch length and branch thickness between the latter two groups were not significant. The grafts started flowering at the age of two years, one year earlier than the other two types of material. At the age of four years the micropropagated plants had abundant seed production, about 75% of that of the seedlings and about two times higher than that of the grafts. Thus, the micropropagated plants can be used instead of grafts when establishing polythene greenhouse seed orchards of birch.

Ryynänen, E-mail: lr@mm.unknown
Viherä-Aarnio, E-mail: av@mm.unknown

article id 5466, category Article

Hely Häggman. (1991). Application of biotechnology to forest tree breeding. Silva Fennica vol. 25 no. 4 article id 5466. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15624

Keywords: tree breeding; micropropagation; vegetative propagation; somatic embryogenesis; conventional breeding; somaclonal variation; biotechnology; gene transfer

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Forest tree breeding involves manipulation of genetic composition of populations and individuals, and biotechnology focuses on selected individuals. The new techniques cannot replace the conventional breeding techniques but both need effective cooperation of each other. Thus, the distinction between conventional breeding and biotechnology is artificial. The biotechnology methods are new and fast developing and the future with field and progeny testing will show which techniques will be permanently adopted into tree breeding. For instance, the earlier hope of the use of somaclonal variation as a new source of variability and a powerful tool for the breeder seem today quite the opposite. Somaclonal variation constituting a major problem in present-day micropropagation is due to the unpredictable variation. Based on knowledge of today, especially micropropagation via somatic embryos, transgenic trees and the identification of major genes seem to be good candidates to be permanently adopted into tree breeding.

Häggman, E-mail: hh@mm.unknown

Category : Research article

article id 892, category Research article

M. Carmen San José, Laura V. Janeiro, Elena Corredoira. (2013). Micropropagation of threatened black alder. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 1 article id 892. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.892

Keywords: Alnus glutinosa; micropropagation; glucose; mature trees

Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Micropropagation techniques are valuable tools for propagating, conserving and restoring trees. An efficient micropropagation method involving axillary shoot proliferation of material obtained from mature European alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) trees was developed. Branch segments from trees aged 20–30 years were forced to flush, and explants derived from new shoots were cultured on Woody Plant Medium supplemented with 8.88 µM benzyladenine and 2.85µM indole-3-acetic-acid. In vitro establishment was achieved in all five genotypes evaluated. Shoot cultures were maintained by sequential subculture of explants on the same medium supplemented with 0.88–0.44 µM benzyladenine and 2.85 µM indole-3-acetic acid. Transfer to fresh medium every 3 weeks during a 9-week multiplication period and the inclusion of 2.28 µM zeatin during the last 3 weeks of culture improved the multiplication rate and shoot quality. Use of 2% glucose as the carbohydrate source produced better results than 3% sucrose for shoot proliferation. In vitro rooting of shoots was achieved with 2% glucose and 0.49 µM indole-3-butyric acid for 7 days, followed by in vitro culture on auxin-free medium for 21 days. Rooted plantlets were acclimatized to the greenhouse and were viable for reintroduction into the natural habitat.

San José, Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (IIAG), CSIC, Apartado 122, 15080 Santiago de Compostela, Spain E-mail: sanjose@iiag.csic.es
Janeiro, INLUDES, Diputación Provincial de Lugo, Ronda de la Muralla 140, 27004 Lugo, Spain E-mail: lauravj68@hotmail.com
Corredoira, Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (IIAG), CSIC, Apartado 122, 15080 Santiago de Compostela, Spain E-mail: elenac@iiag.csic.es

article id 342, category Research article

Jaana Luoranen, Juha Lappi, Gang Zhang, Heikki Smolander. (2006). Field performance of hybrid aspen clones planted in summer. Silva Fennica vol. 40 no. 2 article id 342. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.342

Keywords: survival; Populus; growth; hybrid aspen; micropropagation; planting date; root cutting; root egress; survivalgrowth

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

We investigated the possibility to plant clonal hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x tremuloides) during the summer of propagation when the plants are 20–25 cm tall and only a few months old. In four experiments carried out in years 1998–2001, survival of summer-planted hybrid aspens was at least as high as that of hybrid aspen planted in autumn and spring. In all experiments, compared to planting in September or the following May, height growth was greater with planting in July and early August. Root egress of hybrid aspens planted in July and August was also greater than that of aspens planted in autumn or the following spring. Summer planting was thus possible both with plants produced by micropropagation and with those produced from root cuttings.

Luoranen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Suonenjoki Research Unit, Juntintie 154, FI-77600 Suonenjoki, Finland E-mail: jaana.luoranen@metla.fi
Lappi, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Suonenjoki Research Unit, Juntintie 154, FI-77600 Suonenjoki, Finland E-mail: lj@nn.fi
Zhang, College of Horticulture, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, Hebei, China E-mail: gz@nn.cn
Smolander, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Suonenjoki Research Unit, Juntintie 154, FI-77600 Suonenjoki, Finland E-mail: hs@nn.fi

article id 576, category Research article

Anneli Viherä-Aarnio, Pirkko Velling. (2001). Micropropagated silver birches (Betula pendula) in the field – performance and clonal differences. Silva Fennica vol. 35 no. 4 article id 576. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.576

Keywords: micropropagation; herbivory; Betula pendula Roth; clone; clonal variation; field testing

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Micropropagated and seed-born silver birches (Betula pendula Roth) were compared for survival, height growth and occurrence of biotic damage (voles, hares, mooses, stem lesions and cankers) in field trials in southern Finland. The material consisted of 11 clones and 10 different lots of seedlings growing in 10 field trials, established in clear-cut forest cultivation areas. The plants were 6–7 years old. The micropropagated and seed-born material types did not significantly differ from each other as regards survival, height growth and frequencies of damage caused by biotic agents. Large and significant differences were, however, detected in survival, height and frequencies of all types of biotic damage between single clones. Careful selection and testing of birch clones in field conditions is recommended before wide-scale commercial micropropagation and practical forest cultivation takes place.

Viherä-Aarnio, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Centre, P.O. Box. 18, FIN-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: anneli.vihera-aarnio@metla.fi
Velling, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Centre, P.O. Box. 18, FIN-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: pv@nn.fi

Click this link to register to Silva Fennica.

If you are a registered user, log in to save your selected articles for later access.

Contents alert

Your selected articles

Follow @SilvaFennica