Juvenile Selection Criteria
Due to the factor of time inescapably related to the production of trees from seedlings to their ultimate utilization at the point of economic maturity, methods for assessing or predicting the potential value of individual trees from their juvenile characteristics are essential to any practical tree breeding program. Such juvenile characteristics, to be of value to the for -ester or tree breeder, must be of such a nature that they will assist him in appraising the individual tree with respect to growth, hardiness, ultimate form, quality, disease and insect resistance, as well as general adaptability to the whole environmental complex. In addition, in the case of inter- or intra-specific hybrids, there is a need for a knowledge of criteria of hybridity for determining the validity of such hybrids. In most cases, all such criteria must be based upon some observable morphological characters of the existing phenotype.
Download this file:
Download this file — PDF document, 88KbDetails
Author(s): Albert G. Johnson
Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Northeastern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 1953