progressing radiata pine breeding in australia. m.b. powell, t.a. mcrae, d.j. pilbeam and h.x. wu

Progressing Radiata pine breeding

in Australia.

M.B. Powell, T.A. McRae, D.J. Pilbeam and H.X. Wu

Background to the strategy

Tool Development

Juvenile Wood

Breeding Objectives

Strategy Revision

Where to?

Overview

• Manages the Australian cooperative genetic improvement program for Pinus radiata.

• The radiata pine program was developed after the formal amalgamation of independent member programs in 1983.

• Membership encompasses about half of the Pinus radiata plantings in Australia (300k ha).

Southern Tree Breeding Association

Southern Tree Breeding AssociationMembers:

• AKD Softwoods• Auspine• Forest Enterprises Australia• ForestrySA• Forestry Tasmania• Grand Ridge Plantations (HVP)• Great Southern Plantations • Green Triangle Forest Products• Gunns• Hancock Victorian Plantations • Horizon2 (NZ)• Midway Plantations• Norske Skog Paper Mills• Saxton Seed• Treecorp• WA Plantation Resources

Research Members:

• CSIRO - FFP• CRC - SPF and CRC - SFL• Forest Science Centre • UNE (Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit)• Forest Research (NZ)

Licensed Seed Company:

• seedEnergy Pty Ltd

• 1983 – 1993 Constant change and improvement• sublining• single pair mating, combined index selection• sc nucleus, op main• expanded membership• multiple population sublines• 1991/92 - Multiple Population Subline Strategy. Tim White Analysis.

Breeding population of 340, nucleus of 40, main of 300. Three unrelated lines MP, DG and G/Ph.

• 1993 New Zealand implications

• 1996/97 – suite of progeny trials established in southern states

• 2000 – 2005 new tools developed

History of the strategy

BR9715

BR9703 BR9704 BR9705 BR9706

BR9707 BR9708

1997 trials

Two “types” of tests Breeding/progeny tests Microcutting tests and/or

deployment crosses only

BR9701 BR9702

BR9709 BR9710

History of the strategy

Three “types” of tests Breeding/progeny tests Microcutting tests and/or

deployment crosses only APP Comparison tests

BR9614 BR9615

BR9601 BR9602 BR9603

BR9604 BR9605 BR9606 BR9607

1996 trials

BR9608 BR9609

BR9617

BR9611 BR9612

• 53,000 trees tested• 469 families (SC,PX)

Tool development

3 basic tools:

1. Data management system2. Genetic evaluation system3. Crossing and deployment

management system

STBA now has the first two and isworking towards the third

Tool developmentManagement of data and Information

• STBA data - 500,000 trees potentially accessible from a sixty year period

• Historically data storage was not done well - numerous ad hoc files.

• Specifications for a system were developed in the late-1990s.

Tool developmentManagement of data and Information

STBA-DMS™ developed over the last five years• web-based interface • stores progeny trial performance data • also manages the pedigree for genetic evaluation

purposes • fully integrated with the TREEPLAN® genetic

evaluation system• ability to track pedigree for general purpose use in

crossing programs, trial measure and assessment etc.

Tool development Management of data and Information

Tool development TREEPLAN® Genetic Evaluation

• Accurate prediction of breeding values is fundamental for success

• Optimal statistical method for breeding value prediction is Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP).

• BLUP was first introduced to tree improvement in the STBA in 1995

• Use of BLUP will maximise the use of genetic information within the STBA cooperative.

• The STBA and The Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) have now developed the TREEPLAN® genetic evaluation system

• Customised for forest tree improvement

• Has been using it routinely in STBA breeding programs for over three years


• Regularly updated genetic values are available via the internet through the STBA-DMS™

• Enables the STBA to meet its obligations to

members by helping to deliver maximum genetic gain in plantations per unit of time and cost


• Regionalised (GxE)• In 2004 TREEPLAN

generated breeding values for 78 progeny trials, 134,767 genotypes

• Large volumes of data will accumulate over the coming years

Wood et al. (2001)


Tool development TREEPLAN® Genetic Evaluation System

Juvenile Wood Initiative

Early STBA breeding strategy concentrated on tree volume and form on the assumption that this would lead to more fibre and more profits.

• Selection has increased growth significantly

• Rotation age has decreased from 40-45 years to around 27-30 years for various reasons.

Characteristics of juvenile woodCharacteristics of juvenile woodLow value and profits

Juvenile woodLow densityShort fibresHigh spiral grainLow latewoodThin cell wallsHigh knot incidentLower cellulose

Mature woodHigh densityLong fibresLow spiral grainHigh latewoodThick cell wallsLow knot incidentHigher cellulose

Wu et al. 2004


• As a consequence, juvenile wood has increased to about 1/3 to 1/2 of total volume (trend is likely to continue)

• Improvement of juvenile wood (quantity and quality) is critical for the future of the softwood industry in Australia.


2003 to 2008 – project with CSIRO and FWPRDC focused on improving juvenile wood in radiata pine

• Aim is to develop methods to accurately predict MoE or wood stiffness in young trees

• Derive a juvenile wood stiffness index for use in the breeding program.

• Early goal – sampling 6 trials for density

• Achieved in mid 2004 – 7000+ cores

• Information now incorporated into the latest TREEPLAN® genetic evaluation

Juvenile Wood InitiativeDensity sampling

Economic Breeding Objectives

• Most important aspect of a tree improvement program is the definition of a clearly defined breeding objective.

• Traits in the breeding objective should influence profit ($)

• The definition of an objective is an economic, not a genetic issue

• Breeding objectives have commonly been “loosely” defined and based on biology rather than on economic information

• Historically the breeding objective traits used in Pinus radiata were:

• Growth (VOLUME) • Branch quality (BRANCH)• Stem straightness (STEMST)• Wood density (DEN)


Project with FWPRDC and CSIRO commenced in 2001

Two main components :• Deriving economic weights for traits in the

breeding objective

• Estimating genetic parameters for key breeding objective traits (rotation age) and selection traits (younger age).


Methodology• Survey of STBA members production systems • Development of bio-economic models

• Assess appropriate breeding objective traits • Estimation of relative economic weights

• Likely breeding objective traits – growth, stem straightness, branching and stiffness

• Traits and economic weights being incorporated into the STBA radiata pine breeding strategy and TREEPLAN® system

Economic Breeding ObjectivesEconomic weights

Methodology• Age-age data from ~2000 wood samples near

rotation age (3 trials)• Preliminary results being reported:

• Growth• Wood density, microfibril angle and modulus

of elasticity• Genetic parameters being incorporated into the

STBA radiata pine breeding strategy and TREEPLAN® system

Economic Breeding ObjectivesGenetic parameters

Current breeding strategy, 1980s and early 1990s. • Theoretical approach rather than the effective

and efficient implementation of the program.

New strategy focus is on total tree improvement• Delivery of genetic gain per unit time

• Generation interval reduction • Selection pressure increased

• Several areas where the current strategy could be improved

Revising the strategy

Projects - Breeding Objectives, Juvenile WoodBLUP - TREEPLAN®

Operational:• Nucleus - more efficient selection and mate

allocation methods available• Discrete generations – rolling front • Pollen Mixes – single crosses and more effective

use of pedigree (BLUP) • Independent sub-lines – retained to manage

inbreeding and deployment

Revising the strategy

Where to?

STBA has access to a highly valuable genetic resource

Projects in key target areas have been developed and are largely in place

$NPV Index

Still some issues:• GxE• Realised gains

Conclusion

STBA is putting in place the key tools needed to effectively manage large scale breeding programs

Major benefits will come over next few years:• Switch to an annualised, rolling front

program of crossing and trial establishment • Tools to manage key genetic and resource

information

Acknowledgements

STBA Pinus radiata Member companies

Particularly:

CSIROFWPRDC

progressing radiata pine breeding in australia. m.b. powell, t.a. mcrae, d.j. pilbeam and h.x. wu

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