Post date: Jan 01, 2014 11:1:19 PM
The 2013 Open4st nursery season was busy with lots of progress in our goal to produce vigorous, good rooting, and well formed aspens. Below is a summary of the year's progress:
The 2013 Nursery consisted of over 13 Phase 3 (P3) selections, 10 new Phase 4 families and 144 2xCAG12 ramets. It is expected to yield over 700 - 10" cuttings and 1300 1-0 stock plants and seedlings.
A "Vigor Survival" metric was used as the primary selection model. It consisted of multiplying the survival rate by the median diameter (mm) from each clone set.
The 13 P3 selections averaged 82% rooting from 6"cuttings over a 2 or 3 year test period.
The best rooting 2013 clone was 101AA11 with 98% rooting via 39/40 cuttings in 4 replications.
The 2xCAG12 family was root tested via 6 - 6" cuttings per 34 ortets and averaged about 80% rooting. Fourteen ortets rooted 100%.
1xCAGW selections - Observed "pure" aspen traits in terms of leaf, stem and roots, and some also root well. Clone 1CAGW01 was planted in planted 7 replications of 65 - 6" cuttings with diameters ranging from 3mm to 14mm and a mean rooting of 73%. However, there was 83% survival from cuttings that were 10 mm or greater in diameter. Future tests will include cuttings with a 7 mm cutting diameter.
10 aspen crosses were produced in 2013. They represented a variety of alba hybrids with most leaf/stem traits meeting parental and intermediate expectations.
4 Bigtooth x Open pollinated families - Bigtooth females from urban areas had low seed set. Open pollinated seed from McGovern's RNE alba aspen site had vigorous AG like progeny. These seedlings were planted at the end of June. The gxg seedlings averaged 2' and the AGs averaged 4'.