improvement of exotic and indigenous poplars in india

Improvement of Exotic and Indigenous Poplars in India

Dinesh Kumar

Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India

kumard@icfre.org

Poplar : Major Groups

Indigenous

Important more for ecological and social reasons than

commercial utility

Occur in temperate and sub-temperate areas

Exotic

Important for commercial reasons

Planted in subtropical (Populus deltoides) and temperate

(P. nigra) areas

Populus deltoides-based agroforestry plantation in Punjab

Avenue plantation of exotic poplar in Kashmir

Southern Limits of Indigenous and Exotic Poplars in India

Southern Limits of Indigenous and Exotic Poplars in India

Populus: Indigenous species

P. ciliata

P. alba

P. euphratica

P. laurifolia

P. gamblei

P. jacquemontii var. glauca

P. rotundifolia

Populus: Exotic species

P. deltoides

P. nigra

OthersP. x euramericana

P. trichocarpa

P. yunnanensis

P. tremuloides

P. maximowiczii

Populus ciliata

The most extensive indigenous poplar

Distributed at 1300-3000 m altitude

Planted on unstabilised slopes, freshly exposed soils along roads or nurse crop for Abies pindrowregeneration

Planted around orchards as wind break

Uses: Packing cases, match sticks, fuel, fodder; also suitable for plywood and hardboards

Altitude State No. of stands Uttarakhand 3 Himachal Pradesh 7

<1800 m

Arunachal Pradesh 3 Uttarakhand 21 Himachal Pradesh 28

1800-2200 m

Arunachal Pradesh 1 Uttarakhand 92 Himachal Pradesh 24

2200-2600 m

Arunachal Pradesh 6 Uttarakhand 23 Himachal Pradesh 4

2600-3000 m

Arunachal Pradesh 6 >3000 m Uttarakhand 9 Total 227

Populus ciliata Improvement: Population Survey

Population surveyTrees of river flood plain deposits and ravine / seasonal water courses have greater m.a.i. than those associated with high-level conifers (Khurana and Khosla, 1982).

Male: female ratio 3:2

Female trees prefer exposed areas while male trees occur with dominant species; females attain greater sizes (Khosla et al., 1979).

Sites of germplasm collection by Rajgopal et al., 2000

(Rajgopal et al., 2000)

Provenance trialsMaximum resistance against Melampsora rust observed in Rahla provenance

CPT selection for growth, form, resistance to Melampsora rust and stem gall

Rust (M. ciliata) infection was more in provenances at lower altitudes as compared to higher altitudes (Gupta et al., 2002)

Dysgenic selection

Hybridisationwith P. deltoides

Full compatibility of P. ciliata x P. deltoides and reciprocals (Chaturvediand Rawat, 1992, 1994)

P. deltoides x P. ciliata not compatible (Khosla and Thakur, 1991)

with P. maximowiczii

with P. x euramericana ‘I-455’

with P. yunnanensis

Hybrids with P. deltoides and P. maximowiczii grew faster in nursery than P. ciliata (Mohanty and Khurana, 2000, Khurana, 2007)Hybrids with P. deltoides planted in field trials (Jha and Kumar, 2000)

…xxxxxx

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Hybrids with P. deltoideswith different rooting patterns

Category A: for interplantingwith agricultural crop

Category C: for block planting

Category D: for planting on loose soil

(Khurana, 2007)

A xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxx

B

E

xxxxxxC D

Isozyme (Handa et al., 2000, Narkhede, 1995) and RAPD markers (Rajagopal et al., 1999) for identification of interspecific hybrids and superior clones

Populus alba

Occurs in Western Himalayas (i.e. parts of Lahauland Kinnaur, Kashmir) at 2500 - 3300 m altitude

Severely lopped for fodder

Seeds are scarce

Altitude State Range No. of stands

<2400 m Himachal Pradesh

Akpa 5

Akpa 5

Pooh 3

2400-2800 m Himachal Pradesh

Yangthan 1 Pooh 1 >2800 m Himachal

Pradesh Yangthan 1 Total 16

Populus alba Improvement

Population survey

Provenance trial26 provenances from Kashmir, Leh, and Himachal Pradesh classified into category C (7) and category D (19) rooting patterns

Rooting pattern consistent within a provenance (except two provenances)

CPT selection and clonal multiplicationP-14 Raksham clone found superior

125 ppm IBA found effective for mass multiplication

Populus euphratica

Occurs in cold desert area in Western Himalayas (i.e. parts of Ladakh and Spiti) at 2400 - 4000 m altitude

Severely lopped for fodder

Altitude State Range No. of stands

3,000 m Jammu and Kashmir

Nubra 1

3,050 m Jammu and Kashmir

Nubra 1

3,100 m Jammu and Kashmir

Nubra 1

Populus euphratica Improvement

Population survey

Populus gamblei

Southernmost species of indigenous poplar in India (27o-30oN latitude)

Occurs in Eastern Himalayas (North Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh) at 600 –1300 m altitude

Used for packing cases and match industries

Altitude State Locality Compart-ment no.

Stand population

Stand no.

1 100 (0.4 ha)

HP-1

1(C1) 10,000 (3 ha)

HP2

1 6,000 (2 ha)

HP3

1500 -1600 m

Arunachal Pradesh

Yachuti Range

1 12,000 (5 ha)

HP-4

Populus gamblei Improvement

Population survey

Populus deltoides

Exotic; yet most important species of this genus in IndiaTrees standing: >30 million

Average planting/replanting rate: 5.5 million plants/year i.e. 11,000 ha/year (requirement surpassed 12 million in 2008)

Major planting region:Plains of North-West India (Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh)

Low hills/plains in parts of Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir

Uses: Plywood, matchstick, paper and charcoal

Poplar-wheat agroforestry model Poplar-turmeric agroforestry model

Poplar wood being taken to market by farmers

Traditional charcoal kiln using roots of poplar and other wood waste

Planted in agroforestry plantations in north India Rotation 6-8 yearsMean annual increment: 20-25m3/ha/yrYield upto 49m3 has been recorded in few plantationsPlanting sites: Irrigated agricultural field of farmersPlanting method: Planted with agricultural crops, rather than solo plantation Spacing:

5m x 4m or 4m x 4m as block plantation3 m to 4m in linear rows as boundary plantation

Crops grown: Grain crops (except rice), vegetables, pulses, medicinal plants, fruit trees

Populus deltoides Improvement

P. deltoides introduced in early 1950s with several species of this genus

By 1969, P. deltoides and its interspecific hybrids etc. had proved their superiority in terai region (e.g. I-488, I-214, I-215)

In 1969, more clones introduced e.g. D-121, G-3, G-48, 61/183, 65/27, etc.

By 1983, clones G-3, G-48 and D-121 became most popular

1983, open-pollinated seeds of G-48 x G-3 were collected.

By 1994, G-3 became prone to leaf blight

Finding out new exotic clones for plantingWIMCO, FRI, Universities, State Forest Departments

S7C8

82-35-4

S7C15

S7C20

Development of new clones through hybridisationG-48 x G-3 (WSL-series, L-series clones)

Other hybrids

Rank Clone 1 S7C8 2 82-35-4 3 113324 4(Check clone) G-48 5 3167 6 3324 7 111828 8 73/53-2 54 (Check clone) G-3 Total clones: 108, Period: 1985-1991 (60 clones), 1989-1994 (63 clones)

(Kumar et al., 2001)

Growth Data of Select Exotic Clones of P. deltoides at State Forest Department, Haldwani in Terai Region, Uttarakhand

Rank Clone m.a.i. (m3/ha/yr)

1 L-169/84 39.84 2 L-188/85 39.19 3 L-51/85 36.67 4 L-34/82 36.56 5 L-51/84 35.74 6 L-17/85 35.70 7 L-116/84 35.53 Check clone G-3 21.74 Check clone G-48 23.85 Check clone D-121 <10.00

Trial: 1989-1997 (Burfal, 2001)

Growth Data of Select Clones of P. deltoides Produced Through Open- Pollination at Haldwani in Terai Region, Uttarakhand

P. deltoides germplasm in India till 1996

P. deltoides germplasm introduced in India during 1996

Introduction of More Germplasm

Rank Clone

Height (m)

Dbh (cm)

Clean bole ht (m)

Vol. under bark (m3)

m.a.i. (m3/ha/yr)

1 FRI-AM-58 20.53 31.32 5.26 0.519 43.252 FRI-AM-51 20.53 29.44 5.44 0.458 38.173 FRI-AM-41 20.16 29.52 7.44 0.452 37.674 FRI-AM-32 19.25 30.08 9.18 0.448 37.335 FRI-AM-54 20.25 29.30 5.90 0.447 37.256 FRI-AM-44 21.07 28.59 5.26 0.443 36.927 FRI-AM-59 20.25 28.56 8.39 0.425 35.428 FRI-AM-12 19.58 28.96 8.07 0.423 35.259 FRI-AM-48 21.25 27.26 7.27 0.406 33.8310 FRI-AM-42 20.05 27.96 8.37 0.403 33.5811 FRI-AM-106 18.33 29.09 6.54 0.399 33.2512 FRI-AM-4 19.74 27.86 6.37 0.394 32.8313 FRI-AM-89 19.16 28.27 7.44 0.394 32.8314 FRI-AM-53 18.98 28.33 8.54 0.391 32.58

Growth Data of Select Clones of P. deltoides Produced at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun from Seed Introduced from South and South-Eastern USA

Total clones: 95, Period: 2001-2007

Contd. on next slide

Rank Clone

Height (m)

Dbh (cm)

Clean bole ht (m)

Vol. under bark (m3)

m.a.i. (m3/ha/yr)

15 FRI-AM-105 20.81 26.93 8.25 0.388 32.3316 FRI-AM-40 19.89 27.51 8.63 0.387 32.2517 FRI-AM-24 19.56 27.48 6.17 0.379 31.5818 FRI-AM-33 19.72 27.36 7.45 0.379 31.5819 FRI-AM-87 20.73 26.61 7.88 0.377 31.4220 FRI-AM-20 20.37 26.59 9.82 0.370 30.8321 FRI-AM-109 19.80 26.55 6.21 0.358 29.8322 FRI-AM-7 18.33 27.56 8.83 0.357 29.7523 FRI-AM-13 19.58 26.64 6.57 0.357 29.7524 FRI-AM-45 22.26 24.99 7.77 0.357 29.7525 FRI-AM-30 20.01 26.31 6.46 0.355 29.5826 FRI-AM-93 19.82 26.33 8.86 0.353 29.4227 G-48

(Check clone) 21.47 25.01 8.50 0.345 28.75

Contd. from previous slide

Clones have been tested for fibre length at Dehradun and Ludhiana.Focus now shifting to wood quality as well.Nursery stock raised through tissue culture possessed serpentine stem and early setting of dormancy in autumn. Rooting was better but field growth declined by 67 per cent in timber vol. vis-à-vis control. Wood was found to be sub-optimal in plywood and safety match industries (Dhimanand Gandhi, 2006).

Clone Height dbh Volume (m3) WSL-22 30.2 91.0 0.700 WSL-27 30.9 91.0 0.716 WSL-32 31.9 100 0.887 WSL-39 24.5 99.0 0.667 WSL-A26 26.0 91.0 0.607 WSL-A49 27.4 96.0 0.707 G-48 (Check clone)

27.0 81.0 0.501

• No mechanism so far at national level• Eight clones registered by Produced by WIMCO are registered with International Poplar Commission

Registration of Clones

Six Outstanding Clones Produced by WIMCO and Registered with International Poplar Commission in 2002

Development of Approach for Multi-Step Selection and Concurrent Multiplication of Superior Clones

of P. deltoides

Approaches for Selection of Poplar Clones

• Full-rotation field testing + Multiplication :

Time period : 6 + 4 = 10 years

• Half-rotation field testing + Multiplication :

Time period : 3 + 4 = 7 years

• Multi-step selection + Multiplication :

Accuracy : Highest

Accuracy : ?

Ages for multi-step selection: ? Selection intensties : ?

Timing for multiplication: ?

Logistics : ?

6 4

3 4

3

??

?

???? ?? Accuracy : ?

Time period : ?

?Selection intensity: ?

Scatter plot of ranks for age 6 and younger ages for volume (D2H) of 60 clones

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

RD2H6

RD

2 H1

Correctly selected

Wrongly rejected

Wrongly selected

Correctly rejected

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Vol. 6

Vol.

1Best 5 (Accuracy 20 %)Best 10 (Accuracy 50 %)

Best 15 (Accuracy 60 %)

Best 30 (Accuracy 63.3 %)

Ranks: Age 1 vs Age 6

Per cent accuracy of early selection for stem volume

Selection age

(years)

No. of clones targeted for selection out of 60 clones in trial

5 10 15 30 Average

2 60 50 46.7 76.7 58.35

72.50

77.50

91.65

3 40 80 80.0 90.0

4 60 80 80.0 90.0

5 80 100 93.3 93.3

Average 60.00 77.5 75.0 87.5

Likely Scenarios of Relationships among Different Steps of Multi-Step Selection

(1) (2)

(3)

Selection Strategy Suggested

Selection age (years)

Proportion of clones that should

be selected

Proportion targetted

(no. of clones out of 60)

Accuracy in selecting

targeted clones

2 yrs. (1/3 of rotation age)

60% (36 out of 60) 30 86.7%

3yrs. (½ of rotation age)

33% (20 out of 60) 15 93.3%

4 yrs. (2/3 of rotation age)

13% (8 out of 60) 5 100%

5 yrs. (5/6 of rotation age)

5% (3 out of 60) 3 100%

1310

22

26

2553

40 9

5

1129

21

4

32

12

2014

7

48

15 52

27

60

38 28

43

33

51

18

19

50

35

6

36

16

Step1

Step 2Step 3Step 4

ID numbers of clones selected in four steps

2423 57

313

39

46

37

8

301747

54

42

41

34

1

5645

55

49

44

58

59

2Step 1: age 2 Step 2: age 3 Step 3: age 4 Step 4: age 5

Approach for Early Selection and Concurrent Multiplication

Select 60%, 33%, 13% and 5% clones at age 2, 3, 4 and 5 years.

Start multiplication at age 2 on basis of 2nd year stem volume.

Refine selection every year on basis of current growth data.

Stop multiplication of rejected clones at every step.

1 2 3

5

65460 1333% clones selected

Year of clonal multiplication

Advantages of This Approach

Accuracy close to selection at rotation age.

Speed faster than selection at half-rotation age.

Facilitates selection for rooting ability too during field testing and multiplication.

Captures juvenility for easy rooting.

Selection for other traits can be amicably combined with selection for stem volume in this approach.

(Kumar D. and Singh, N.B. 2001. Silvae Genetica, 50: 103-108.)

Logistics and comparison with other approaches

Age of early selection Particulars 2 years (1/3 of rotation)

3 years (½ of rotation)

4 years (2/3 of rotation)

5 years (5/6 of rotation)

Percentage of clones targeted 50% 25% 8% 5% Percentage of clones selection 60% 33% 13% 5% Percentage success achieved 86.7% 93.3% 100% 100%

% superiority over average clone 125% 148% 185% 212% % superiority over one-step selection of best 25% clones at half-rotation age

79.4% 94.1% 117.5% 134.7%

% superiority over one-step selection of best 25% clones at one-third of rotation age

86.5% 102.4% 127.9% 146.6%

No. of plants per clone at end of early selection age

20 200 2,000 20,000

No. of clones in vegetative multiplication garden

60 33 13 5

No. of plants in vegetative multiplication garden

1,200 6,600 26,000 100,000

Ratio of requirement for resources in nursery/ VMG

0.01 : 0.07 : 0.26 : 1.00