Early Results of a Range-Wide Provenance Trial of Alnus Glutinosa (L.) Gaertn

First-year growth, dormancy onset, winter dieback, and spring budbreak were observed for 48 provenances of Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. planted at two locations: central Iowa and northern Wisconsin. First-year growth was best for provenances from north central and southern Europe and poorest for northern Scandinavian sources. Budset was strongly correlated with latitude of origin, the Scandinavian sources set bud in mid-summer and some southern-latitude sources continued growth until late October in Iowa. Winter dieback was insignificant for most provenances, but severe for the extreme southern sources. Even those provenances, however, produced some hardy individuals. Budbreak occurred first in Scandinavian and Yugoslavian sources and last in the other southern provenances and in those sources from the British Isles. There was also considerable variation in morphological traits that might be economically exploited. In a companion greenhouse study, it was determined that the source of Frankia used to initiate nodules on the alder roots had a substantial impact on initial plant growth. This finding should be considered in evaluating past work with Alnus and in planning future studies.

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Author(s): Charles A. Maynard, Richard B. Hall

Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Northeastern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 1981