Tree improvement | Techniques & Practices

TREE IMPROVEMENT

ANAND CHARVIN.G

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biotechnology comprises any technique that uses living organisms to make or modify a product, to improve plants or animals or to

develop micro-organisms for specific uses.

TREE IMPROVEMENTTree improvement relies on understanding and using variation that

naturally occurs in tree populations.

Tree improvement increases the value of a tree species by

1) selecting the most desirable trees from natural stands or

plantations,

2) breeding or mating these select trees.

3) testing the resulting progeny.

TREE IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES

The establishment of initial

populations, including

species and provenance testing, as well as the

development of breeding

and gene conservation

populations;

Population improvement, frequently including recurrent

cycles of selection and

recombination.

The general objective of a

genetic improvement

Programme should be the sustainable management of

genetic variation to

produce, identify and

multiply for the operational

planting of well-adapted genotypes of the desired

quality.

TECHNIQUES OF TREE IMPROVEMENT

CRYOPRESERVATION AND IN VITRO STORAGE

This comprises the maintenance of cells,

tissues or organs in cultures where growth is slowed (e.g. by the reduction of

light, temperature or nutrients) or suspended (by immersion in liquid

nitrogen).

MAINTENANCE OF JUVENILITY

Suspension of the growth process implies the

maintenance of the maturation state previously

attained in the tissues -without any of the

uncertainty associated with alternative strategies such as long-term hedging or

serial propagation.


USE OF MOLECULAR

MARKERS

The use of molecular markers involves the

examination, using

sophisticated biochemical

techniques, of variations in

cellular molecules such as DNA and proteins.

Genetic fingerprinting.

Quantification of

genetic variation.

The major current value of molecular markers lies in long-term strategic research;marker studies are making great contributions to advances in the understanding of

basic genetic mechanisms and genome organization at the molecular level.

GENETIC ENGINEERING

This comprises the insertion of novel genes into a plant or else

the modification of existing

genes through manipulation of

the DNA molecule.


It is important that genetically engineered genotypes be of high quality with respect to other traits as well.

The clonal test is the most logical basis for the integration of genetic engineering into traditional tree improvement programmes.

Genetic engineering is most appropriately conducted with species for which breeding programmes are advanced and clonal forestry can be realistically contemplated.

MICROPROPAGATION

This refers to in vitro plant

propagation methods.

The principal approaches are

axillary budding (actually a

miniaturization of propagation

with cuttings):

Induction of adventitious buds

on non-meristematic tissue (i.e.

inducing a shoot where one

would not normally develop).


Somatic embryogenesis (where

individual cultured cells or small

groups of cells undergo

development resembling that of

the zygotic embryo).

Work done with some crop

species indicates the possibility of

encapsulating somatic embryos

to form artificial seeds which can

then be handled like

conventional seeds.

CONCLUSION Modern biotechnology should be perceived as a new group of

tools or means to be used as adjuncts or complements to

conventional technologies in solving problems and meeting the

needs of human beings.

A balance should be maintained between modern

biotechnological and conventional research, and the development

and application of biotechnology should be driven by needs and

not by technological capability.

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Tree improvement | Techniques & Practices