Newsletter August 99

issued and authored by Dag Lindgren

This news-letter is delivered at irregular intervals (four times a year?) to a mailing list which is mainly Swedish domestic and mainly people who have asked to be placed on the list. It is possible to subscribe to it, at least within Sweden, by sending me an emajl. It it possible to use the "reply all" to inform this auditorium with an announcement or to comment on my statements, but till now this option has not been used. This time I make attachments as .htp files instead of word-documents (.doc), which some subscribers have experienced problems with.

Ola Rosvall's thesis

Ola Rosvall's thesis is now in print. The public defence is planned for Sept 3rd at Umeå with Bailian Li as opponent. If you have not got it by Aug 20, you may ask me or Ola Rosvall.

Its title is:

Enhancing Gain from Long-Term Forest Tree Breeding while Conserving Genetic Diversity

List of publications included

Rosvall, O., Lindgren, D. and Mullin, T.J. 1999. Sustainability robustness and efficiency of a multi-generation breeding strategy based on within-family clonal selection. Silvae Genetica: 47(5- 6), 307- 321.

Rosvall, O., and Andersson, E.W. 1999. Group-merit selection compared to conventional restricted selection for trade-offs between genetic gain and diversity. Forest Genetics 6(1):11- 24.

Rosvall, O., and Mullin, T.J. 1999. Positive assortative mating with selection restrictions on group coancestry enhances gain while conserving genetic diversity in long-term forest tree breeding. Manuscript.

Rosvall, O., Mullin, T.J., and Lindgren, D. 1999. Controlling parent contributions during positive assortative mating and selection increases gain in long-term forest tree breeding. Manuscript.

I hope this thesis can serve as a starting point for future discussions about different aspects of long-term breeding.

 

Forest Genetics Council of British Columbia

This council is active at the moment. I recommend a visit at their web site.

http://www.fgcouncil.bc.ca/

They even issue a journal (TICtalk), which is possible to subscribe to ( roger.painter@gems8.gov.bc.ca ).

 

Dendrome database

Dendrome: Forest Tree Genome Database

http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu/

Institute of Forest Genetics

http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu/ifg/index.html

Based in California, Dendrome is a project of the Institute of Forest Genetics (USDA Forest Service) that aims to act as "a central electronic resource for the study of forest tree genomes." Users will find a wealth of information at the site, including several excellent genome resources (complete with genetic maps), links to research institutes, upcoming scientific meetings and courses, and job opportunities. Of particular use to researchers are the genetic databases with linkage maps for numerous species of the genus _Cryptomeria_, _Eucalyptus_, _Picea_, _Pinus_ and _Populus_. A selection of specific resources rounds out the site. [LXP]

 

Chinese tree breeders make study journey in Sweden

A group of 13 tree breeders and others from Fuijan in southern China will make a bus trip around Sweden and Finland under guidance of Dag Rudin. They pass Sweden in later half of August. Further information Dag.Rudin@genfys.slu.se.

 

Post-doc

Dr Huan-Lin Lai from Nanjing, China, will be postdoc with our group at Umeå from 28 Sept around a year.

 

Number of representation of initial plus trees in the forming of a closed breeding population

I have since long argued that it would be more beneficial for tree breeding to transmit genes from more of the tested plus trees but in the same time let the plus trees be differently represented in an optimal fashion allowing more offspring from the best (in contrast to the base alternative in Swedish breeding, which is to let a fixed number of tested plus trees (50) be equally represented in the next generation of the breeding population). I have felt it important that the reasons for this opinion are well understood. Now I feel pleased to express that what is possible to do to meet this desire from me has been done. Förädlingsrådet has discussed the issue in December 1998. I made a presentation and my presentation is in the enclosed document. After the meeting I wrote down my comments on a number of questions and comments about unequal representation, which were raised at the meeting, this is also enclosed. A grant was given to study the phenomenon from Föreningen Skogsträdsförädling, and Ola Rosvall was subsequently asked to write about the results from this project in the recent yearbook of Föreningen. I enclose this article. I see it as important that it is well documented why decisions and actions are made and relevant arguments commented in connection with that, so now my opinion is well documented and properly discussed. This matter concerns the transition from an open to a closed breeding population, and is not dealt with in Ola Rosvall's thesis. This matter is of more immediate interest for breeders' actions than what happens in later generations.

The issue of unequal representation (unbalance) in a long term closed breeding population with particular attention to the Swedish program has been thoroughly discussed in Ola Rosvall's thesis. It appears that the possible advantage with unbalance, at least considering the specific plans for Norway spruce, is smaller and more doubtful than I would have guessed.