Abstract
Common cypress is widespread throughout the Mediterranean area, where since ancient times, it has been used as a multipurpose tree. In the past, cypress woods were also greatly exploited as a source of strong and durable timber, but nowadays, the availability of cypress timber is extremely limited. The creation of new cypress plantations with properly selected genotypes could sustain a valuable market for high-quality timber. In this study, ten 25 year-old Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis canker-resistant clones grown in two plantations located in central Italy were assessed for timber production. The aim of the work was to evaluate the genetic and environmental influences on growth and morphological traits for each clone. Growth traits, branch characteristics (size and insertion angle) and heartwood content offered potential in the selection for timber quality and quantity, while the selection of clones based upon stem form and branch number did not seem easily practicable. Selection for growth should be based on tree height since it results in fewer adverse effects on other properties such as stem form and branching. Insertion angle resulted the most interesting trait, as it showed very high repeatability values and favourable genetic correlations. Heartwood content correlated positively with growth traits, so it may be indirectly favoured in the course of future improvements in clone productivity on the basis of growth. The marked effect exerted by site on all growth traits underlines the importance of identifying suitable locations for cypress plantations.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully thank: the IPSP and IVALSA technical teams (Paolo Burato, Paolo Pestelli, Giovanni Torraca and Luciano Scaletti) for their assistance during field and laboratory work, Dr. Matthew Haworth for critical reading of the manuscript and the Tuscany Region (ARSIA) which funded this study.
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Communicated by Z. Kaya
Topical Collection on Disease Resistance
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Nocetti, M., Della Rocca, G., Berti, S. et al. Genetic growth parameters and morphological traits of canker-resistant cypress clones selected for timber production. Tree Genetics & Genomes 11, 73 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-015-0900-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-015-0900-z