Abstract

A triploid birch (Betula pendula f. gigas) from Valls hage, Gävle, Sweden has been cloned by micropropagation. Mini (8 cm), small (30 cm) and tall (90 cm) seedlings were produced and planted in autumn or in spring 2001-2004. Three localities were used: Hedemora (Lat. 60° 15’ N.), Sala (Lat. 59° 95’ N.) and Uppsala (Lat. 59° 58’ N.). The experiments were located on former farmland. In a parcel, 25 seedlings of triploid birch were planted in a spacing of 3x3 m. Silver birches (Betula pendula Roth) was planted between the triploid seedlings. Close to the experiment a parcel with hybridaspen (Populus tremula x Populus tremuloides) was planted. The same spacing as for triploid birch and mixed with silver birch. The percentage surviving seedlings differed between localities but also between planting years. As a mean 85-100 % of the triploid birches planted five years ago were still alive. The tallest triploid birches examined five years after planting were found on parcels planted in spring 2003: Hedemora, 297 and 323 cm tall, Sala 117 and Uppsala 162 and 202 cm. The silver birches growing on the same parcels were shorter than the triploid birches on trials in Hedemora and Sala, 284 and 306, 87 and 121 cm respectively, but taller in Uppsala: 191 and 245 cm. When the trials were examined 2014 the heights for triploid birch ranged between 5 and 10 meters in Hedemora, between 3 and 5 meters in Sala and around 8 meters in Uppsala. The tallest triploid birches were growing on parcels planted in spring 2003. Silver birches were taller or had the same height as triploid birches on all localities. The height of hybridaspens ranged between 4 and 11 meters in Hedemora, 3.5 and 4 meters in Sala and 6 and 8 meters in Uppsala. Silver birches mixed with hybridaspens growing in Hedemora and Sala had the same height as hybrid aspens but were taller than hybridaspens in Uppsala (10 m). Diameter at breast height ranged between 40 and 78 mm for triploid birch and 29 and 81 mm for silver birch in Hedemora; between 13 and 33 mm and 22 and 29 respectively in Sala and 58 and 60 mm and 72 and 84 mm respectively in Uppsala. The diameter and height of older triploid birches (28-51 years of age) was measured and compared with a silver birch tree. A triploid birch (51 years old) micropropagated from a birch in Edsbyn had a site index of 28 m (H50), a triploid birch from Ekebo 32 m and a 30-year-old silver birch 34 m. Over all the studies did not reveal any differences in growth between triploid birch and silver birch. Key words: Farmland, growth, hybrid aspen, micro propagation, plantation, silver birch, survival, triploid birch, height

Keywords

Farm land, growth, hybrid aspen, micro propagation, plantation, silver birch, survival, triploid birch, height

Published in

Rapport (Institutionen för energi och teknik, SLU)
2014, number: 080
Publisher: Institutionen för energi och teknik, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet

SLU Authors

• Johansson, Tord

  • Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Nylinder, Mats

  • Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/63331