75
In South America, breeding of raulí started in the 1990s, simultaneously but
separately in Chile (Ipinza 1999) and Argentina (Gallo et al. 2005). The first progeny tests of Argentina were established in 1997, thus beginning the breeding programme conducted by INTA until today. At the same time, a temporary provenance
trial was installed at the nursery representing 22 Argentinean natural populations of
the species (N = 1200). Since then, ten provenance and progeny tests were installed
in the field to gain knowledge about morphological, functional and adaptation traits
(Table 3.2). Five of them are located more than 300 km south from the southernmost
limit of the natural distribution area of the species, in Trevelin and San Martín Forest
Stations of INTA, thus providing valuable information for the possible strategy of
assisted migration in the frame of global climate change. Others were installed
under the protection of pine plantations or within the native forest. The site conditions are variable, and, accordingly, preliminary estimated age-age correlations varied between sites (between r = 0.37–0.56). In the southern site (Trevelin), which has
very good conditions (Table 3.2), the highest growth was registered with individuals
above 5 m height at the seventh year. The influence of site conditions played an
important role also in the diameter growth. DBH measures were compared at age 13
between provenance tests located at different site conditions, and the best site
(Trevelin, DBH = 85 mm) was almost double that of one of the average sites (Yuco
Alto, DBH = 45 mm) and almost three times higher than that of the poorer site
(Meliquina, DBH = 30 mm) (Gallo, unpublished data).
Since 97% of the lands with presence of raulí in Argentina are under the protection of Lanín and Nahuel Huapi national parks (Sabatier et al. 2011), an agreement
was established in 1994 between the National Park Administration and INTA for the
use of the Argentine genetic resources of the species. In the frame of this agreement,
both institutions have been collaborating for seed collection with scientific and
deployment purposes. Thus, natural stands with good seed productivity and
accessibility were identified. Moreover, in 2008 a pure stand of 3 ha, situated in a
place of Lanín National Park locally known as Yuco Alto (40° 08′ 40.01″ S; 71° 29′
56.31″ W; 1010 m asl), was registered with the National Seed Institute (INASE) as
a Seed Production Area (SPA).
Following the first experiences in the management of the species for cultivation
and with the preliminary results of the provenance and progeny tests, in 2006 INTA
formally initiated in Argentina a low intensity breeding programme for raulí. The
initial strategy was to establish clonal seed orchards with individuals selected from
the natural forest or precociously from young trials. Since natural forests of raulí in
Argentina are not even-aged, mass selection is not expected to achieve large genetic
gains due to the impossibility to compare candidate trees with controls of the same
age in their neighbourhood (Ledig 1974). This is not an issue in the case of selection
in field trials, but their young age is, namely, trees would be selected by juvenile
traits. However, the low intensity scale explicitly proposed for the breeding programme of raulí endorsed this strategy.
Since preliminary experiences revealed that adult material was not adequate for
vegetative propagation, the resprouting ability of the species from tree stumps was
taken as advantage to get rejuvenated material for vegetative propagation. Thus,
trees were phenotypically selected in the forest under simple criteria: dominant
3 Raulí (Nothofagus alpina = N. nervosa): The Best Quality Hardwood in Patagonia
In South America, breeding of raulí started in the 1990s, simultaneously but
separately in Chile (Ipinza 1999) and Argentina (Gallo et al. 2005). The first progeny tests of Argentina were established in 1997, thus beginning the breeding programme conducted by INTA until today. At the same time, a temporary provenance
trial was installed at the nursery representing 22 Argentinean natural populations of
the species (N = 1200). Since then, ten provenance and progeny tests were installed
in the field to gain knowledge about morphological, functional and adaptation traits
(Table 3.2). Five of them are located more than 300 km south from the southernmost
limit of the natural distribution area of the species, in Trevelin and San Martín Forest
Stations of INTA, thus providing valuable information for the possible strategy of
assisted migration in the frame of global climate change. Others were installed
under the protection of pine plantations or within the native forest. The site conditions are variable, and, accordingly, preliminary estimated age-age correlations varied between sites (between r = 0.37–0.56). In the southern site (Trevelin), which has
very good conditions (Table 3.2), the highest growth was registered with individuals
above 5 m height at the seventh year. The influence of site conditions played an
important role also in the diameter growth. DBH measures were compared at age 13
between provenance tests located at different site conditions, and the best site
(Trevelin, DBH = 85 mm) was almost double that of one of the average sites (Yuco
Alto, DBH = 45 mm) and almost three times higher than that of the poorer site
(Meliquina, DBH = 30 mm) (Gallo, unpublished data).
Since 97% of the lands with presence of raulí in Argentina are under the protection of Lanín and Nahuel Huapi national parks (Sabatier et al. 2011), an agreement
was established in 1994 between the National Park Administration and INTA for the
use of the Argentine genetic resources of the species. In the frame of this agreement,
both institutions have been collaborating for seed collection with scientific and
deployment purposes. Thus, natural stands with good seed productivity and
accessibility were identified. Moreover, in 2008 a pure stand of 3 ha, situated in a
place of Lanín National Park locally known as Yuco Alto (40° 08′ 40.01″ S; 71° 29′
56.31″ W; 1010 m asl), was registered with the National Seed Institute (INASE) as
a Seed Production Area (SPA).
Following the first experiences in the management of the species for cultivation
and with the preliminary results of the provenance and progeny tests, in 2006 INTA
formally initiated in Argentina a low intensity breeding programme for raulí. The
initial strategy was to establish clonal seed orchards with individuals selected from
the natural forest or precociously from young trials. Since natural forests of raulí in
Argentina are not even-aged, mass selection is not expected to achieve large genetic
gains due to the impossibility to compare candidate trees with controls of the same
age in their neighbourhood (Ledig 1974). This is not an issue in the case of selection
in field trials, but their young age is, namely, trees would be selected by juvenile
traits. However, the low intensity scale explicitly proposed for the breeding programme of raulí endorsed this strategy.
Since preliminary experiences revealed that adult material was not adequate for
vegetative propagation, the resprouting ability of the species from tree stumps was
taken as advantage to get rejuvenated material for vegetative propagation. Thus,
trees were phenotypically selected in the forest under simple criteria: dominant
3 Raulí (Nothofagus alpina = N. nervosa): The Best Quality Hardwood in Patagonia