The conservation of Populus nigra L. and gene flow with cultivated poplars in Europe
1995
Cagelli, L. (Istituto di Sperimentazione per la Pioppicoltura, Casale Monferrato (Italy). SAF/ENCC) | Lefevre, F.
Populus nigra L. can be considered on the verge of extinction in a large part of western Europe. Its natural habitat is being gradually reduced by human activity and the gene pool is threatened by the large-scale presence of cultivated hybrids and of one ornamental cultivar, the fastigiate "Lombardy poplar", that spontaneously hybridize with P. nigra. Although cultivars of Pinus nigra are cultivated in some areas, especially in the Middle East, the main use of the species is as a parent of interspecific hybrids in breeding programmes. From an economic point of view the most important hybrid is achieved by using P. nigra as a pollen parent with the North American P. deltoides Bartr. as the seed parent, resulting in the common "euramerican" hybrids (P.x euramericana (Dode) Guinier). Some varieties of black poplar are also widely used for their ornamental qualities. The conservation of in situ genetic resources is limited to some restricted areas, as the riparian forests, typical habitat of P. nigra, have suffered considerably from urbanization and competition with human productive activities. Ex situ conservation activities, on the other hand, have been carried out in several European countries. A project for the coordination of efforts aimed at the conservation of P. nigra has been recently launched as one of four pilot projects included in the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
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