Tissue culture of conifer seedlings-20 years on: Viewed through the lens of seedling quality

Abstract

Operational vegetative propagation systems provide a means of bringing new genetic material into forestry programs through the capture of a greater proportion of the genetic gain inherent within a selected tree species. Vegetative propagation systems also provide a method for multiplying superior varieties and/or families identified in tree improvement programs. Twenty years ago, a program at the Forest Biotechnology Centre, BC Research Incorporated (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), was initiated to apply somatic embryogenesis technology to conifer species with the intent of creating a commercially viable vegetative propagation system that could produce large numbers of somatic seedlings (then called emblings). As this program was being initiated at the Forest Biotechnology Centre in the early 1990s, there was a perception that seedlings produced through somatic embryogenesis technology might have attributes unsuitable for large scale reforestation programs. To overcome this skepticism, a comprehensive seedling quality assessment program was designed to assess the performance of somatic seedlings. As the somatic embryogenesis technology for conifer seedlings improved, the application of quality practices to the production of somatic seedlings evolved into an approach that is comparable to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality assurance programs now being applied across many industries. The following is a brief history of the evolution of this seedling quality approach (from the author’s perspective) applied to conifer seedlings produced with the somatic embryogenesis technology.

Parent Publication

• National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations - 2010

Citation

Grossnickle, Steven C. 2011. Tissue culture of conifer seedlings-20 years on: Viewed through the lens of seedling quality. In: Riley, L. E.; Haase, D. L.; Pinto, J. R., tech. coords. National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations - 2010. Proc. RMRS-P-65. Fort Collins, CO: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 139-146.