Flowering phenology and seed viability of native and non-native poplars in north-central Alberta

Abstract

In Alberta, Canada, the provincial government currently restricts the establishment of hybrid poplars to private land or small research plantings on Crown lands, because of the unknown risks associated with using non-native trees. Industry is interested in utilizing hybrid poplars on a larger scale for fibre production and reclamation. This interest has driven the need to better understand the genetic risks associated with the deployment of these non-native trees within a matrix of natural poplar stands and agricultural plantings. The first step to understanding the potential risks associated with the use of non-native poplars is to assess flowering phenology and seedling development of both native and non-native poplars growing in the same region. Flowering data were collected and graphed for 38 clones of native Populus balsamifera, 20 clones of native P. tremuloides, and 13 non-native poplar clones (seven hybrid poplar clones and six P. davidiana seedlings) in north-central Alberta. Based on the overlapping flowering patterns and the development of normal seedlings, some potential for hybridization between native and non-native poplars exists.Key words: hybridization, hybrid poplars, Populus balsamifera, P. davidiana, P. tremuloides, risk RÉSUMÉEn Alberta, Canada, le gouvernement provincial confine présentement l'utilisation des peupliers hybrides aux terrains privés ou à de petites plantations de recherche sur les terres publiques, à cause des risques inconnus associés à l'utilisation d'espèces non-indigènes. L'industrie est intéressée par l'utilisation de peupliers hybrides sur une plus grande échelle dans une optique de production de fibre et de mise en valeur. Cet intérêt a engendré la nécessité de mieux comprendre les risques génétiques associés au déploiement de ces arbres non-indigènes au coeur d'un ensemble de peuplements naturels de peuplier et de plantations agricoles. La première étape vers cette compréhension des risques potentiels associés à l'utilisation des peupliers non-indigènes est d'évaluer la phénologie de la floraison et du développement des semences tant des peupliers indigènes que non-indigènes en croissance dans la même région. Les données sur la floraison ont été recueillies et mises en graphique pour 38 clones indigènes de Populus balsamifera, 20 clones indigènes de P. tremuloides et 13 clones non-indigènes de peuplier (sept clones de peupliers hybrides et six semis de P. davidiana) du centre-nord de l'Alberta. À cause des calendriers de floraison et de développement des semis habituels qui se chevauchent, il existe certaines possibilités d'hybridation entre les peupliers indigènes et non indigènes. Zsuffa 1975). Similarly, a land race trial (testing species or provenances in an exotic environment) of P. davidiana Dode (section Populus) could potentially spread that species' genes into native P. tremuloides stands.poplar farms in Alberta, and are likely biologically compatible with native P. balsamifera, as their parentage is from sections Aigeiros and Tacamahaca (The close p...

Juvenile productivity of five hybrid poplar clones and 20 genetically improved white and Norway spruces in boreal clay-belt of Quebec, Canada

“…However, the use of exotic species is often questioned because they may displace native species and perhaps the flora and fauna that their native analogues support (Lieffers et al 2003). There are also concerns that they may interbreed with native species of the same genera, thereby contaminating local gene pools (Huybregts 2007).…”

An efficient single nucleotide polymorphism assay to diagnose the genomic identity of poplar species and hybrids on the Canadian prairies

“…The suite of SNPs reported here can be used for rapid, accurate identification of unknown poplars, clones of complex hybrid origin, the assessment of breeding material, and confirmation of paternal parentage of open-pollinated progenies. As hybridization is known to occur in this ecozone between indigenous poplars (Rood et al 1986;Floate 2004) as well as shelterbelt clones and natural populations (Ronald and Steele 1974;Huybregts et al 2007), this diagnostic tool may prove useful for future studies of interspecific gene flow on the Canadian prairies (P. Talbot, W. Schroeder, S.L. Thompson, J. Bousquet, and N. Isabel, unpublished).…”

“…Questions have remained concerning the Russian poplar, including Populus ×petrow-skyana, Populus ×berolinensis, and Populus ×rasumowskyana (Maini and Cayford 1968). These clones are believed to be derived from crosses between P. laurifolia and either P. nigra (Roller et al 1972;Huybregts et al 2007) or P. deltoides (Rehder 1974;Ronald and Steele 1974). Other clones were derived as open-pollinated progenies, with paternity suspected, yet genomic identity unconfirmed.…”

“…The low reproductive barriers and overlapping phenologies among poplar species permit natural hybridization to occur (e.g., Ronald and Steele 1974;Floate 2004;Huybregts et al 2007). Hybridization is also important in poplar breeding and agroforestry: heterosis (hybrid vigor) results in faster growth, while crosses with exotic poplar species can combine the favourable traits of different species.…”

Πρότυπα Παραγωγής Και Ατμοσφαιρικής Κυκλοφορίας Γυρεοκόκκων Στην Ευρύτερη Περιοχή Θεσσαλονίκης

“…Ωστόσο, έχουν σημειωθεί και εξαιρέσεις (Alcázar et al 1999) (Cariñanos et al 1999, Laaidi 2000, Pérez et al 2001, Nitiu 2004 (Galán et al 2008, Eccel et al 2009)˙ είναι δυνατόν ακόμη -μέσω της επιλογής των κατάλληλων ποικιλιών -να συμβάλλει στην σταυρεπικονίαση ή στη δημιουργία υβριδίων υψηλής παραγωγικότητας σπόρων ή καρπών ή με βελτιωμένα χαρακτηριστικά, όπως π.χ. η ανθεκτικότητα στο ψύχος (Nikkanen 2001, Yu et al 2001, Vanden Broeck et al 2003, Huybregts et al 2007). Παρά το γεγονός ότι η άνθηση των φυτών αποτελεί φυσικό μηχανισμό απολύτως απαραίτητο για τη ζωή, η άνθηση ορισμένων ειδών, κυρίως ανεμόφιλων, και η συνακόλουθη παραγωγή και κυκλοφορία των γυρεοκόκκων τους ευθύνονται για την εκδήλωση αλλεργικών συμπτωμάτων σε ευαίσθητες πληθυσμιακές ομάδες (βλ.…”