Stilbenes as constitutive and induced protection compounds in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)
| Authors: | Anni Harju, Martti Venalainen |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Type: | General Technical Report |
| Station: | Pacific Southwest Research Station |
| Source: | In: Sniezko, Richard A.; Yanchuk, Alvin D.; Kliejunas, John T.; Palmieri, Katharine M.; Alexander, Janice M.; Frankel, Susan J., tech. coords. Proceedings of the fourth international workshop on the genetics of host-parasite interactions in forestry: Disease and insect resistance in forest trees. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-240. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. pp. 20-26 |
Abstract
The goals of our studies are to describe the natural variation in the concentration of constitutive heartwood extractives; estimate the genetic parameters related to heartwood characteristics; determine whether there is a genetic connection between constitutive and inducible production of stilbenes; and, together with technical experts, to develop fast and reliable techniques to quantify stilbenes from wood samples and determine whether there are rapid ways to utilize the existing variation in silviculture. We are also collaborating with molecular geneticists to find the markers for pine stilbene biosynthesis that could be used in early selection.
The study material includes three generations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.): the first generation consists of grafted clones in seed orchards; their half-sib progenies growing in about 40-year-old progeny trials are the second generation; and the third generation includes seedlings in a nursery. The first and the second generations provide heartwood samples for stilbene analysis and the third generation has been used to study mechanical induction of stilbenes. Moreover, after heartwood samples from a large natural stand have been surveyed for stilbenes and total phenolics (end of 2012), we will be ready to make experiments on their seedling progenies and their biotic challengers.
We hypothesize that trees having strong inducible defense ability against biotic and abiotic stresses in their living tissues may also have high concentration of stilbenes in their heartwood when they mature. Such trees would be optimal to cultivate as timber with natural stilbene impregnation. One vision with practical importance is the exploitation of the genetic variation in stilbene production for the improvement of Scots pine regeneration material. For the evaluation of the possibilities and strategies to improve Scots pine trees to produce more durable heartwood, we need to estimate the interaction between genotype and environment as well as the genetic correlation between quality and growth traits.