Genetic control and age‐related changes of juvenile growth characters in Picea abies

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Abstract
In full‐sib families of Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce) the dynamics of juvenile growth and the inheritance of the most important growth characters were analysed in six growth periods in climate chambers followed by two additional growing seasons in a nursery. The full‐sib families were of French and North Swedish origin including both within and between provenance crosses. All growth rhythm characters changed over time. For instance, number of days to budbreak increased, whereas days to budset decreased, as growth periods advanced. Concurrent with the changes in growth rhythm, free growth decreased with increasing age. Half of the total variation for different growth rhythm characters within a growth period could in most cases be explained by provenance effects. Early selection is, therefore, meaningful to reduce damage by frost and mortality. Furthermore, the actual distances between family means decreased substantially with increasing age, and the actual length of the shoot elongation period decreased from 31 days during the second growth period to 16 days during the sixth. We suggest therefore that selection together with some treatment in the nursery that alters the growth rhythm of the seedlings are the best ways to increase frost resistance. Tree height was influenced by a set of complex gene actions that changed over time. Provenance effects were important during the first two growth periods. Subsequently, non‐accumulative within provenance family variance took over. If this pattern holds true in general, juvenile selection for height growth in Norway spruce cannot be made as early as that for growth rhythm.