Genetic variation in the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood in hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica x L. kaempferi) F1
2005
Fujimoto, T. (Hokkaido. Forest Products Research Inst., Asahikawa (Japan)) | Akutsu, H. | Kita, K. | Uchiyama, K. | Kuromaru, M. | Oda, K.
The genetic variation of the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood, based on tracheid length, in hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica x L kaempferi) F1, and the influence of growth rate on its trait, were studied. Wood samples were collected from 100 29-year -old trees belonging to 19 full-sib families and tracheid length was determined for four-ring segments from rings 2 to 22. Tracheid length was plotted against age to determine the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood. The mean value of transition age was 18.8 years, ranging from 11.5 to 25.4. The narrow-sense heritability estimate for transition age was 0.24 and, assuming selection of the top 25% and 10% of the families, the predicted gain for single trait direct selection was 0.8 and 1.1 years, respectively. Neither genetic nor phenotypic correlations were found between transition age and growth rate. The tracheid length was not correlated with growth rate or transition age. These results suggest that promoting growth rate through forest tree management and breeding should affect neither the age of transition from juvenile to mature wood nor tracheid length. The age of transition is under moderate genetic control, but response to selection for its trait would take approximately one year.
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