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FAIR-CT97-3953
Genetic improvement of wood quality: increasing selection efficiency for different end uses |
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Contract No: | FAIR-CT97-3953 |
| Date Prepared: | March 2000 | |
| Source: | Second Annual Progress Report Abstract |
Activities
This project is assessing selected wood and utilisation properties of material from genetic tests of three tree species: Pinus pinaster (maritime pine), Picea abies (Norway spruce) and Eucalyptus globulus. These species are widely used in a number of different manufacturing processes, offering the opportunity to determine economic weights for different end products. Within the EU countries represented by the partners in this project, there are genetic tests of an appropriate structure and age for this study, and most are available for destructive sampling. The molecular work is being done on two of the species: Pinus pinaster and Picea abies.
The molecular genetics of Eucalyptus species is being intensively investigated in countries outside the EU, but it is not clear that material of the right genetic structure for identifying markers is available within the EU. The work is divided into five main tasks; task 2 is further divided into five sub-tasks, and task 3 into two sub-tasks. as follows:
Task 1 Supply of material
Task 2 Assessment of wood properties
Task 3 Identification of molecular markers
Task 4 Data analysis and data management
Task 5 Determination of economic weights
Progress
Sampling of genetic tests of Pinus pinaster, Picea abies and Eucalyptus globulus has been completed, and wood and needle samples have been distributed. Climatic data for the two Picea abies clonal trial sites have been entered into the project database. The assessment of wood properties is generally progressing well, though the rather poor condition of the Pinus pinaster samples has caused some problems, particularly for participant 04. The following data have been sent to participant 02 for entry into the project database and subsequent data analysis:
For wood density, tracheid length, grain angle and microfibril angle of Picea abies, heritabilities are moderate to high, and coefficients of genetic variation are in the range 5-13%. Heritability of extractive content is low. In Pinus pinaster, a first set of ten "candidate genes" has been chosen. All genes have been cloned and sequenced for both male and female parents of a mapping pedigree. A low level of nucleotide polymorphism was observed, and only one gene could be mapped using this approach.
Additional candidate genes are under study and other techniques are being explored. In Picea abies, bulked segregant analysis has identified polymorphic fragments which co-segregate in bulk DNA pools for
The potential markers for wood density are being validated in individuals with high or low wood density. Validation has confirmed four polymorphic fragments which co-segregate with low extractive content and one which co-segregates with high extractive content. It has become clear that wood using industries are not able to provide accurate estimates of economic weights for individual properties of wood used for different purposes. Instead, a sensitivity analysis is being carried out to examine the effect of changing the economic weightings of traits combined in the same selection index.
Achievements
The relational project database is now fully operational and can be accessed from the project homepage (see above)
A paper on the characterisation of Pinus pinaster proteins has been published in 1999 and one on the incorporation of wood density in breeding programmes has been submitted for publication.
Future activities Over the next twelve months it is anticipated that the following will be achieved: measurements of wood properties in Pinus pinaster, Picea abies and Eucalyptus globulus will be completed
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