Genetic parameters of growth and wood quality traits in Picea abies

Abstract

Genetic parameters were estimated for wood and growth traits in two 19-yr-old clonal trials and a 40-yr-old full-sib progeny trial of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]. In the clonal trials high (>0.4) broad-sense heritabilities were found for wood density traits, lignin content, number of internal cracks, growth traits, spiral grain and number of resin canals. Moderate (0.2–0.4) heritabilities were found for tracheid lumen diameter and cell wall thickness, microfibril angle and tracheid length, while low heritabilities (<0.2) were found for pulp yield, fibre strength, wood stiffness and wood colour. Lignin content and pulp yield showed low genetic variation, whereas the genotypic coefficient of variation for most other traits ranged between 5 and 15%. Most traits showed low levels of genotype by environment interaction. Among the wood properties, latewood proportion, earlywood density and ring density showed significant, adverse correlations with volume in both clonal trials.

Keywords:

• Genetic Correlation
• heritability
• lignin
• pulp yield
• spiral grain
• tracheid dimensions
• wood density

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funds from the European Union (FAIR CT98 3953), the Swedish Council for Forestry and Agricultural Research and the Swedish Association for Forest Tree Breeding. We would like to thank all our colleagues who helped with the study.

Notes

Hannrup, B. ¹ , Cahalan, C. ² , Chantre, G. ³ , Grabner, M. ⁴ , Karlsson, B. ⁵ , Le Bayon, I. ⁶ , Jones, G. L. ² , Müller, U. ⁷ , Pereira, H. ⁸ , Rodrigues, J. C. ⁸ , Rosner, S. ⁴ , Rozenberg, P. ⁹ , Wilhelmsson, L. ¹ and Wimmer, R. ⁴ (¹Skogforsk, Uppsala, Sweden, ²School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences/The BioComposites Centre, University of Wales, Bangor, UK, ³AFOCEL, Domaine de Sivaillan, Moulis en Médoc, France, ⁴Institut für Botanik, and ⁷Institut für Holzforschung und Technologie, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Wien, Austria, ⁵Skogforsk, Ekebo, Sweden, ⁶CTBA, Laboratoire de Mycologie, Bordeaux, France, ⁸Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisboa, Portugal, and ⁹Laboratoire de Génétique et Amèlioration des Arbres Forestiers, INRA, Olivet, France). Genetic parameters of growth and wood quality traits in Picea abies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Björn Hannrup

Hannrup, B. 1 , Cahalan, C. 2 , Chantre, G. 3 , Grabner, M. 4 , Karlsson, B. 5 , Le Bayon, I. 6 , Jones, G. L. 2 , Müller, U. 7 , Pereira, H. 8 , Rodrigues, J. C. 8 , Rosner, S. 4 , Rozenberg, P. 9 , Wilhelmsson, L. 1 and Wimmer, R. 4 (1Skogforsk, Uppsala, Sweden, 2School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences/The BioComposites Centre, University of Wales, Bangor, UK, 3AFOCEL, Domaine de Sivaillan, Moulis en Médoc, France, 4Institut für Botanik, and 7Institut für Holzforschung und Technologie, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Wien, Austria, 5Skogforsk, Ekebo, Sweden, 6CTBA, Laboratoire de Mycologie, Bordeaux, France, 8Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisboa, Portugal, and 9Laboratoire de Génétique et Amèlioration des Arbres Forestiers, INRA, Olivet, France). Genetic parameters of growth and wood quality traits in Picea abies.