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A review of coning and seed production in Picea sitchensis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

J. J. Philipson
J. J. Philipson
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9SY, Scotland, U.K.
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Synopsis

Sitka spruce grown from seed has a juvenile phase of about twenty years before coning commences; mature trees and grafted scions cone intermittently and produce good cone crops every three–five years. These characteristics have lengthened the breeding programme and reduced seed production in orchards. Production of male and female cones can be enhanced by treatments such as heat and drought and by application of a mixture of gibberellins A4 and A7 (GA4/7) to mature grafts. To enhance flowering consistently in container grown grafts the GA4/7 must be applied together with a cultural treatment, but with larger grafts in the field GA4/7 alone is often effective. Attempts to induce cone production in juvenile trees, however, have been less successful. Female cones initiated on field grown trees in response to inductive treatments yield seed of a similar quantity and quality to that from cones on untreated trees. The physiological mechanisms of coning, and cone induction techniques, are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 93 , Issue 1-2: Sitka Spruce , 1987 , pp. 183 - 195
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

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