Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Abstract

Cones were collected from 21 trees in each of four Swedish. geographically widely distributed populations of Picea abies (L.) Karst. during the rich cone crop year 1977. Plant height as well as growth rhythm recorded as bud-flushing. bud-set, attainment of 50% or 80% growth of the leader. and duration of the growth period were studied in a nursery at Uppsala during the years 1979- 1982. The analysis of variance revealed strongly significant between- and within-population differences with respect to most of the growth rhythm characters studied during 1981 and 1982 when the plants were well established at the test site. The within-population variation was lower in the northern population than in the others. The difference within populations for leader length and plant height was in most cases non-significant. Family repeatabilities based on means for growth rhythm characters varied between 0.5 and 0.9 in 1982 when the estimates were highest. The family repeatabilities for plant height and leader length never exceed 0.3 but the experimental errors were large. There were strong genetic correlations between the growth rhythm characters. The genetic correlations for the same character between years 1981 and 1982 were strong.