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Variation in spring and autumn freezing resistance among and within Spanish wild populations of Castanea sativa

Variation de la résistance au gel au printemps et en automne entre et dans les populations espagnoles sauvages de Castanea sativa

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 708 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • Genetic variation in freezing resistance was evaluated among and within six populations of Spanish wild chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller). The extent to which frost susceptibility was related to phenology and the relationship between population differentiation and climatic conditions was studied.

  • • Twigs were collected in March and November from saplings (5-year-old trees) of 41 open-pollinated families from the six populations in a provenance-progeny test, and were subjected to artificial freezing. Damage to each twig was assessed as visible browning of bud and of stem tissues.

  • • Population differences as regards frost damage traits were highly significant (p < 0.01) in both spring and autumn. Family differences within populations were low, often non-significant, and in all cases smaller than differences among populations. Population means were closely correlated with the parental drought and frost conditions. Populations originating from dry areas or from regions where frost seldom occurs were the least resistant.

  • • Drought is suggested to be the one of the most important selective agents that shapes population differentiation in Spanish wild chestnut, while frost may be more important in northern Spain. Phenological differences are not always good predictors of the degree of frost damage. Thus, freezing tests should be used to detect frost susceptibility in chestnuts.

Résumé

  • • La variation génétique de la résistance au gel a été évaluée entre et dans six populations espagnoles sauvages de châtaignier (Castanea sativa Miller). L’ampleur avec laquelle la sensibilité au gel est liée à la phénologie et aux relations entre la différenciation de la population et les conditions climatiques a été étudiée.

  • • Des rameaux ont été recueillis en mars et novembre à partir de jeunes arbres (âgés de 5 ans) de 41 familles à pollinisation libre issues de six populations en test de descendances/provenances, et ont été soumis à une congélation artificielle. Les dommages à chaque rameau ont été évalués par le brunissement visible des bourgeons et des tissus de la tige.

  • • Les différences entre population pour ce qui concerne les dégâts causés par le gel sont très significatifs (p < 0.01) au printemps et en automne. Les différences entre familles dans les populations sont faibles, souvent non significatives, et dans tous les cas plus petites que les différences parmi les populations. Les moyennes des populations sont étroitement corrélées avec les conditions de sécheresse et de gel auxquelles sont soumis les parents.Les populations originaires des régions sèches ou de régions où le gel se produit rarement sont les moins résistantes.

  • • On suggère que la sécheresse est l’un des plus importants agents sélectifs qui forme la différenciation dans la population espagnole de châtaigniers sauvages, tandis que le gel peut être plus important dans le nord de l’Espagne. Les différences phénologiques ne sont pas toujours de bons indices du degré de dommages par le gel. Ainsi, les essais de gel doivent être utilisés pour détecter la sensibilité au gel des châtaigniers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Producción Forestal, Centro de Investigación Forestal de Lourizán, Apdo. 127, 36080, Pontevedra, Spain

    Raquel Díaz & Josefa Fernández-López

  2. Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute, Ås, Norway

    Øystein Johnsen

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  1. Raquel Díaz
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  2. Øystein Johnsen
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  3. Josefa Fernández-López
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Correspondence to Raquel Díaz.

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Díaz, R., Johnsen, Ø. & Fernández-López, J. Variation in spring and autumn freezing resistance among and within Spanish wild populations of Castanea sativa . Ann. For. Sci. 66, 708 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009059

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X