Inheritance of Compartmentalization of Wounds in Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) and Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.)

摘要

Studies of half-sib progeny tests of sweetgum (Liquidambar straciflua) and clonal plantings of eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) in Mississippi indicate that rate of wound closure and size of discolored columns associated with the wounds are both heritable traits. Both are independent of stem diameter, which was used as a measure of tree vigor in these studies. Selection for rate of closure would not be useful, but selection for compartmentalization of discoloration and decay resulting from wounding would be valuable in forest and emenity trees and could be applied immediately to existing improvement programs for these species.