А. П. Царев
(в России и за рубежом)
Москва, 2013
Moscow State Forest University Edition,
Moscow, 2013

Table of contents
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1. EUROPEAN PROGRAM APPROACHES in FOREST TREE BREEDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
1.1. Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
1.1.1. Forest breeding programs of the XX century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
1.1.1.1.
1.1.1.2.
Levels of breeding programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Breeding programs for the different forest species . . . . . .14
1.1.1.3. Expected efficiency of breeding programs . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.1.2. Forest breeding programs of the XXI century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.1.2.1. Alternative strategy in forest breeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.1.2.2. Breeding programs for the different forest species . . . . . .25
1.1.2.3. Economic indicators of forest breeding in Sweden . . . . . .30
1.2. Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
1.3. Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
2. NORTH AMERICAN PROGRAMS of FOREST TREE
BREEDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
2.1. United States of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.1.1. General principles of program approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
2.1.2. Approximate breeding program of the State of Wisconsin . . . . . . 44
2.1.3. Consolidated breeding program of Western Gulf States . . . . . . . . 48
2.2. Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.2.1. The second generation of breeding program in Ontario province . 50

2.2.2. Breeding programs of Quebec province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
2.2.3. Program of the forest trees improvement in British Columbia
province . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
3. RUSSIAN PROGRAMS OF FOREST TREE BREEDING . . . . . . . . 53
3.1. Primary breeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.1.1. Program of forest tree proveniences research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
3.1.2. Research of ecotypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
3.2. Short data on development of forest tree breeding in Russia . . . . . .60
3.3. Program of valuable forest tree genofund selection and conservation . . . 62
3.3.1. General approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.3.2. Methods of genetic resources conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
3.3.2.1. In situ conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
3.3.2.2. Ex situ conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
3.3.2.3. Conservation of proveniences, ecotypes and populations 69
3.3.2.4. Conservation of separate trees signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
3.3.3. Forms of forest tree genetic resources selection and
conservation in Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
3.3.3.1. Forest populations genetic reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
3.3.3.2. Selection and conservation of the individual valuable
stands and trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
3.3.3.3. Genofund conservation in plantations, collections
and banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
3.4. Cultivars of forest trees and their testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
3.4.1. Improved material concept (terms and definitions) . . . . . . . . . . . .85

3.4.1.1. Reproductive improved material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
3.4.1.2. Concept of forest tree cultivars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
3.4.2. Testing of forest trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
3.4.2.1.
3.4.2.2.
Purposes and types of testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Some aspects of testing techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.4.3. Distribution of cultivars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
3.5. Creation of an improved forest tree seed base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4. GENERAL APPROACHES TO FOREST TREE BREEDING
PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
4.1. Main stages of forest tree breeding programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
4.2. An ideal cultivar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
4.3. Collection and research of an initial breeding material . . . . . . . . . 104
4.4. Choice of a breeding method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5. APPLICATION OF THE BREEDING PROGRAM TO
POPLARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
5.1. Poplar – a genre with the outstanding potential of growth . . . . . . .120
5.2. Research of natural stands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
5.3. Cultivars and clones introduction and testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
5.4. Hybridization of poplars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
5.4.1. Short data of poplars hybridization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
5.4.2. Initial forms and hybridization methods in Central
Chernozem region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
5.4.3. Results of hybridization in the Central Chernozem region . . . . . 139

5.5. Perspective cultivars and hybrids of poplars for the European
part of Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
REFERENCE S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Summary
Despite considerable progress of genetics and breeding made in XX and at the beginning of the XXI century, there are quite modest achievements in forestry.
This is caused by many reasons, but in our country two of them are obviously evident.
The first one is related to infinite reorganizations of forestry, and, unfortunately, not with the best results. Hence, the tendency for deforestation is noticeable.
Leaving the worst trees unsuitable to practical use on cutting areas leads to degradation of genetic fund of natural populations as the subsequent generation will arise from these poor plants.
Secondly, and it is common for all countries, forest trees as an object of investigation are not so convenient for researchers due to long ontogenesis, problems caused by the necessity of regular monitoring and creation and maintenance of long-term sample objects, by variations of climatic, weather, soil, agrotechnical and other conditions. In contrast to annual plants cultivation when any negative phenomenon or its influence can be considered and somehow corrected during the next year, this is simply impossible in perennial forest trees cultivation. Besides the existing level of forestry development, the extent of the forest areas and inadequate financial regulation do not always allow even to apply well known methods of economy management.
However, researchers started to use program approaches to forest tree breeding at first abroad, and then in our country. The experience in program application results in increase of coniferous forests efficiency, creation of highly effective forest plantations of coniferous and deciduous species and improvement of forestry economy as a whole. The economic effect is rather essential if not stunning.

So, research in Sweden (Rosvall, 2011) showed that by the end of this century potential genetic gain in the new plantations using seeds from modern seed orchards can increase production of wood per unit area by 10%. In Poland (J.
Matras, 2005) the income from forest tree breeding is expected at the level of 10% for populations and 15% at individual breeding. In the USA estimates of an expected genetic gain on height fluctuate from 11 to 15% (Wisconsin
Department... 2009). In Canada it is considered that more advanced second generation of forest tree breeding will give essential effect since in this case controlled pollination will be used, thus genetic improvement in height is expected to increase by 10-15% (New ….Breeding Programs, 2004).
As a whole, the average economic effect of genetics methods use in programs of forest tree breeding in different countries is expected at the level of about 10%.
In Russia the most extensive national program in which the influence of forest seeds provenance on growth and resistance of new created plantations was considered, is the program of provenance (geographical) tests. Besides provenance tests a number of forest tree breeding projects were undertaken at a nation-wide level. They can be considered as the basis for further development of forest tree breeding. The projects include the following programs: 1) allocation and preservation of valuable forest tree genetic fund, 2) creation of the state cultivar testing of forest tree plants and 3) establishment of genetics improved seed basis.
Some attempts to apply the breeding program approach were also made to forest tree plants in the country, but they included basically only fast-growing species, such as poplar and willow. Unfortunately, there was no call for these programs, as well as program approach to projects on forest tree breeding as a whole. Though the results of tree breeding presented in this work only for one forest genre – a poplar – show that it is possible to receive huge stocks of wood and biomass per unit area in a short period of time. Long-term research in the Central Chernozem region showed that by the age of quantitative ripeness or the quantitative economic exploitability (26–28 years) a number of the best fast-growing and winter-resistant cultivars and hybrids of poplars produce stocks of stem wood of 700–900, and in some cases more than 1000 m 3 /hectare.
It is clear that in our neglected forestry there are a lot of other urgent problems
(fires, illegal cuttings, lack of tending in forest plantations, non-observance of the intermediate cutting schedule, underestimated stumpage price, reduction of forest inventories and management works, etc.). But there are also other problems which not so are evident: neglect of the available genofund of forest tree plants conservation, termination of planned allocation of a valuable genofund, destruction

of forest seed base, violation of the zoned seed harvest system, liquidation of forest tree breeding and seed-growing centers, curtailment of forest tree breeding works as a whole, etc. Unfortunately ignoring these problems will lead to catastrophic effects in the future.
Russia possesses the one fifth part of the forest area of the world. Our forests are one of the powerful economic levers of the country. It is necessary to introduce a system of rational forest management which is called ‘sustainable’ in other countries. The significance of this management system is not just to cut down the best trees and to leave out the useless ones. On the contrary, it is necessary to care about those who will come after us and not to be greedy. And complying with such approach the true managers will never neglect forest tree breeding notwithstanding the fact that this work will have a long-term effect. The forest tree breeding programs will reduce total cost and save time.