Microsatellite analysis of anonymous seedlot samples from oak: a promising approach to monitor the number of different seed parents and pollen donors

2000

S. 39-47

3 Abb., 1 Tab., 18 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200085766

The sustainable conservation of genetic resources in forestry is of great concern to the governments in Europe (Anonymous 1990 - Strasbourg resolution). Several countries have made provisions in their legislation for regulation of the marketing or use of forest reproductive material (seeds and plants). Genetic diversity at the within-stand level (often called "a broad genetic base" in public debate) is increasingly regarded as one of the key criteria for quality of forest seed material (Geburek and Heinze 1998). Genetic diversity within commercial forest seed material can be measured using diversity parameters derived from population genetic theory (e.g. Nei 1987, Hattember et al. 1993). However, in practice it may be desirable to express diversity in a simpler way: as the number of seed parents included in the seed harvests and the number of pollen donors contributing to the seedlots. A first attempt to include the number of different seed parents in legal regulations about forest seed material has been made in Austria. Here, a federal forest seed law regulates the marketing of seed material for a variety of broad leaf tree species and conifer species (Anonymus 1996 a,b). According to this law, marketable seedlots have to be collected from a certain minimum number of seed parents per stand, depending on the particular tree species. In order to allow genetic monitoring of the seedlots, small anonymous seedlot samples must be shipped to the Federal Forest Research Centre in Vienna by the companies involved in the seed harvesting activities. Samples from different seed parents are supplied separately. The aim is to monitoring genetic relationships within and among the seedlot samples, to detect seed contaminations if necessary and to infer the number of different seed parents.