Populus Alba White Poplar
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Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use White poplar Populus alba Populus alba Populus alba popu Ion Palancean1, Nuria Alba (†)2, Maurizio Sabatti3 and Sven M.G. de Vries4 1 Institute of Botany – Chisinau - Republic of Moldova 2 Systems and Forest Resources Department CIFOR-INIA – Spain 3 Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems - University of Tuscia- Italy 4 Centre for Genetic Resources Netherlands- The Netherlands These Technical Guidelines are intended to assist those who cherish the valuable European white poplar gene pool and its inheritance, through conserving valuable seed sources or use in practical forestry. The focus is on conserving the genetic diversity of the species at the European scale. The recommendations provided in this module should be regarded as a commonly agreed basis to be complemented and further developed in local, national or regional conditions. The Guidelines are based on the available knowledge of the species and on widely accepted methods for the conservation of forest genetic resources. Biology and ecology European white poplar, Populus alba L., is a pioneer tree species in riparian forest ecosystems where it forms pure or mixed stands or, also, monoclonal small groups. The species grows on fertile alluvial soils but is found also growing on sandy and dry soils as a small tree. It tolerates to a certain extent long term inundations and low levels of soil salinity. White poplar is a light demanding and dioecious species. Poplar forests are transitional stands between willow forests and oak, elm and ash forests. White poplar is characterized by fast growth; at the age of 30- 40 years it reaches the height of 20-25 m and a diameter of 50 cm. Flowering starts before or sometimes at the same time as leaf flushing (February to April). Trees mature sexually WhitePopulus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus Populus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplar Populusalba alba White poplar PopulusPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White albapoplarPopulus alba White Populus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba aWhite poplarPopulus alba at the age of 8-10 years Distribution The species hybridises sometimes earlier. White poplar spontaneously in Europe with P. is a wind pollinated species tremula generating the Populus and in natural conditions it White poplar has a large distribu- ×canescens hybrid, and in North regenerates through seeds tion area throughout Europe and America with P. grandidentata and root-suckers. The rooting western Asia. It is also found in producing the P. ×rouleauiana system is well developed with northern Africa. The distribution hybrid. The latter one tolerates lateral roots that spread close area extends from the Mediterra- different climatic and pedological to soil surface. When a tree is nean and the Middle East in the conditions and resists to cut or dies, root suckers sprout south to approximately 62° lati- bacterial canker caused abundantly. Under favourable tude in the north. The west-east by Xanthomonas populi. conditions, one tree can cover distribution ranges from Portugal The recent global almost a quarter of a hectare and Morocco to Russia, China developments regarding with root-suckers. and India. climate change The species can also be have promoted new regenerated vegetatively. interests on white Importance and use Propagation material obtained poplar to explore its from the shoots grows very fast ability to grow under in the beginning as compared White poplar is of ecological, dry and saline to seed-born seedlings. social and economic interest. environments. The rooting capacity of the The importance of natural Furthermore, it is vegetative propagated material poplar forests to biodiversity increasingly used has a high level of variation, conservation is widely recognized. as a model species as tested in different trials and The poplar stands, forming in genomic and physiological common garden study. complex ecosystems along studies. rivers, support a wide diversity In European countries, white of plant communities, including poplar is planted along roads and many endangered species. At in cities for amenity purposes. It present, the protection and can be planted for soil, water and restoration of poplar stands are air remediation in polluted indus- of major importance, not only for trial zones. It is used to produce natural control of flooding but veneer, boards, fruit boxes, match- also because they could serve es and paper. The interest is high- as ecological corridors for plants, est in eastern European countries animals and birds through which where white poplar plays an im- larger forest areas are connected. portant role in the riparian forests White poplar is used in and in some Mediterranean coun- propagation and breeding tries where the species is growing programmes in several countries. in harsh environmental conditions. WhitePopulus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus Populus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplar Populusalba alba White poplar PopulusPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White albapoplarPopulus alba White Populus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba aWhite poplarPopulus alba Genetic knowledge populations show a high genetic Threats to diversity within population and genetic diversity a low genetic differentiation White poplar is a species among populations and rivers White poplar is facing with a wide distribution range confirming the general trend threats both at ecosystem and and its populations are strict- observed in other poplar population levels. Riparian for- ly adapted for some specific species. In general, the genetic ests are one of the most traits to the local climate, gen- diversity tends to increase threatened ecosystems erating a high level of intra- from northern to southern in Europe. Changes in specific variation. Common provenances. the river systems and garden studies for this species Populus alba and clearance of the ripar- showed a high genetic compo- Populus tremula show large ian forests to agriculture nent associated to the timing areas of sympatry in their and other land uses have of the growth period in popula- native range in Europe. The affected their existence tions sampled on large latitudi- result of this overlapping negatively. As a pioneer nal ranges. A moderate genetic is a more localized but species, regeneration of variation among populations not uncommon formation white poplar is based on was also found in morpholog- of hybrid zones in river the natural river dynam- ical traits like leaf size and valleys. Introgression occurs ics. All human activities stem form. These traits rough- preferentially from P. tremula disturbing the related ly follow a latitudinal gradient to P. alba via P. tremula processes affect regen- with large leaves and pollen. This unidirectional eration and survival of straight-stem in pattern is facilitated by high white poplar stands. the northern levels of pollen versus seed White poplar popula- continental prov- dispersal in P. tremula tions have also decreased enances gradu- and by great ecological in size and they have be- ally becom- opportunity in the come increasingly frag- ing small lowland floodplain mented, with negative leaves and forests in proximity impacts on gene flow curved- to P. alba. Natural along the rivers. This will stem in hybrid zones have ultimately reduce genetic diver- the southern been brought recently sity and also change the genet- warmer and into the ecological ic structure of the populations, drier Mediter- limelight as centers with possible negative effects ranean popula- o f biological dynamics, to the survival of the species in tions. and play an important role as the future. Genetic variability evolutionary and ecological Inappropriate use of forest detected with molecular hot spots for a multitude of reproductive material is also markers in P. alba organisms. creating an additional threat, WhitePopulus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus Populus alba White poplarPopulus alba White poplar Populusalba alba White poplar PopulusPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba White albapoplarPopulus alba White Populus poplarPopulus alba White poplarPopulus alba aWhite poplarPopulus alba as white poplar is increasingly Guidelines for genetic and a low number of clonal used for restoring riparian for- duplicates. Particular attention conservation and use est ecosystems. While carry- must be paid to all practices that ing out these activities with As a general objective, the have an impact on flowering reintroduced plant material, it is conservation of genetic re- habit and the regeneration necessary to take into account sources should maintain the process, which determine the adaptability of reproductive adaptation potential of species the effective population size. material to the local climate and populations. Static ex situ Conditions for seed-set and and the risk of genetic erosion conservation is a widely ap- seedling establishment should when using a reduced set of plied strategy for short term be optimized. The number of genotypes. conservation to preserve gen- flowering and seeding trees otypes in ex situ collections provides a practical approach or genebanks. Dynamic in si- to assess the effective size of tu conservation is preferable a given population. At least 50 when the objective is long-term fructifying and unrelated trees gene conservation and maxi- are required to keep genetic mization of the