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Commercial Success of ECLAIR Programme
AGRE-0067: Upgrading the genetic quality of hardwoods by selection of elite germplasm and conservation on marginal and abandoned farmland |
Science Background
Afforestation of marginal and abandoned farmland with broad leaf trees requires suitable planting material.
Objectives
This project assessed the feasibility and economics of creating suitable planting material using a wide range of European trees including Acer, Alnus, Betula, Camellia, Castanea, Fagus, Fraxinus, Juglans, Prunus, Quercus, Syringia, Tilia and Ulmus.
Significant changes and results since end of ECLAIR
In 1994, Cultigar SL, Spain signed an exclusive contract with the local administration for production of 50,000 chestnuts per year until 2000.
Results
At end of this ECLAIR project
Sterile cultures were successfully initiated for all species using material of different physiological ages from immature embryos, embryonic axes, seeds, buds excised from seedlings, adolescent trees, adult trees, adult scions on grafted plants, forced dormant twigs and root suckers. It has been established that such techniques increase the facility of initiating cultures and increase the rate of shoot production. Micropropagation rate in vitro was found to be strongly affected by genotype for Quercus, Castanea, Tilia and Syringia whereas for other species such as Betula and Prunus the propagation rate can be increased during experiments by choosing appropriate media. Many clones of each species were produced and made available either as graft plants, self-rooted cuttings or sterile cultures. These were exchanged internationally among institutional and industrial partners.
Current position
Teagasc have continued the research in-house and have received national grants for support of further research. The research is being coordinated by COFORD.
As a result of the project, one of the commercial partners, Coillte (Ireland), established a laboratory to develop the propagation of trees. They found the experience of vegetative propagation gained from the ECLAIR project to be invaluable. The emphasis of the company has moved towards conifers and they are now using somatic embryogenesis techniques. However, although it is still cheaper to grow trees from seed, vegetative propagation is used for gene conservation to produce healthy plants with desirable properties for seed production.
As a direct result of this project, CSIC, in conjunction with Cultigar, Spain continued the research for a number of species. Improvements have also been made to the technology. Cultigar initiated the first steps in chestnut (Castanea sativa) investigations in the ECLAIR project. This experience enabled them to dedicate successive years to up-scale of chestnut production. Cultigar began using chestnut at a commercial level in 1994, when an agreement was signed with the local Administration. Production of 50,000 chestnut per year will be carried out for the local Administration on an exclusive basis. This process is illustrated below.
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Production of chestnut cultivars by Cultigar S.A., Spain: The chestnuts are subcultured in the air-flow cabinet. Technicians separate and transfer the cultures to a new medium (above). |
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Initially the chestnuts are grown in culture jars (left) They are then transferred to aclimatization tunnels in the greenhouse (right) |
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At six months the radical system should be developed (left). At this time, when the chestnuts are acclimatized and are about 15 cm in height, they are transferred to the regional nurseries (right). |
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Far left: Chestnuts after 18 months. Left: Chestnuts planted in the field. |
Impact
Commercial
The contract obtained by Cultigar prohibits the commercialization of chestnut before 2000; thus Cultigar has not had the opportunity to explore the market.
Coillte are using techniques and experience gained in the ECLAIR project for gene conservation.
Associated
INRA, continued their work on walnut (Juglans), coordinating the project AIR1-CT92-0142: European development of walnut trees for wood and fruit production as an alternative and extensive system for agricultural crops.
This was followed by a network, also coordinated by the participant from INRA - FAIR3-CT96-1887: Walnut: Production of high quality timber in Europe. Up-to-date tools for tree adaptation, wood standards and management (W-BRAINS Walnut - Basic Research for Agroforestry and Industry: Network and Standards) which includes amongst its objectives the development of new cultural systems for experimentation and demonstration. INRA also transferred knowledge gained during this project to develop clonal material of cherry.
The concept of using technological methods to produce large numbers of plants from selected stocks of hardwoods has become a central idea to be realised in EUREKA 2144: New technologies oriented to improve sustainable management in the European forestry sector, which involves participants from the original ECLAIR project. Initially this project was oriented only at hardwood species. However, due to the interest shown by many European research centres and private companies, the original objectives and research areas were extended to all the species of interest to the European forestry sector.
Contacts
Author
COFORD
CSIC
Cultigar
EUREKA coordinator
INRA
Irish Forestry Board
TEAGASC
© Copyright 2006 Policy Statements
Updated
by CPL Press:
03/07/2007
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