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THE IMPACTS OF TREE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES ON FOREST HEALTH:

THE PAST MODELS, AND FUTURE APPROACHES NEEDED IN CHANGING

CLIMATES

Alvin Yanchuk,

Forest Genetics Section, Research Branch, B.C. Forest Service, Victoria, B.C. Canada

Gillian Allard,

Forest Health Officer, Forestry Department, FAO, Rome, Italy

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Present202520552085

Source: Hamann A. & T. Wong. http://genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/hamann/Source: Hamann A. & T. Wong. http://genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/hamann/

< 5 %

5 - 10 %

> 10 %

Predicted range and frequency for Douglas-fir in British Columbia

Predicted range and frequency for Douglas-fir in British Columbia

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Climate and pest range shifts under future warming predictions; e.g., Nun moth

Climate and pest range shifts under future warming predictions; e.g., Nun moth

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Climate and pest range shifts under future warming predictions; e.g., Gypsy moth

Climate and pest range shifts under future warming predictions; e.g., Gypsy moth

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Dothistroma needle cast

mountain pine beetle mortality in lodgepole pine

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Response curves for ‘Nelson Low’ and ‘Prince Response curves for ‘Nelson Low’ and ‘Prince George Low’ populations of lodgepole pine in BC George Low’ populations of lodgepole pine in BC

(from, Wang et al. 2006, Global Change Biology)(from, Wang et al. 2006, Global Change Biology)

Response curves for ‘Nelson Low’ and ‘Prince Response curves for ‘Nelson Low’ and ‘Prince George Low’ populations of lodgepole pine in BC George Low’ populations of lodgepole pine in BC

(from, Wang et al. 2006, Global Change Biology)(from, Wang et al. 2006, Global Change Biology)

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Figure 6. Growth response curves of populations for 20-year height and volume per hectare versus mean annual temperature (MAT).

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Optimization of best populations in 8 seed planning Optimization of best populations in 8 seed planning zones of lodgepole pine in BC zones of lodgepole pine in BC ((from, Wang et al. 2006, from, Wang et al. 2006,

Global Change BiologyGlobal Change Biology))

Optimization of best populations in 8 seed planning Optimization of best populations in 8 seed planning zones of lodgepole pine in BC zones of lodgepole pine in BC ((from, Wang et al. 2006, from, Wang et al. 2006,

Global Change BiologyGlobal Change Biology))

Great news, but will this just be more food for

the insects!?

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A long history pest and disease resistance research in forestry….

A long history pest and disease resistance research in forestry….

19661966

20032003 19961996

19921992

In 2005, FAO initiated a survey of the literature to document status / impact of tree improvement programs addressing

disease and pest resistance

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Categories / Status 1. Breeding programmes with deployed resistant material; 2. Programmes breeding for resistance, no deployed material; 3. Resistance detected in genetic/provenance trials; 4. Evidence in genetic variation in resistance in small research

seedling or clonal trials.

The information is also categorized under three broad approaches:1. traditional plant breeding methods; 2. molecular biology approaches; 3. genetic engineering.

Tree Improvement and Breeding Programs for Pest and Disease Resistance…..summary

Tree Improvement and Breeding Programs for Pest and Disease Resistance…..summary

• ~ 260 resistance ‘research programmes / initiatives’ identified• ~ 20 programmes are using or have identified resistance materials• only 4-5 major commercial forestry programmes have documented ‘impacts’ • substantial investments have had to be made in these 4-5 large commercial programmes, over a period of several decades• transgenics – most are with poplars in China • ongoing survey: additional projects making impacts, particularly in smaller programmes / countries?

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Disease resistance breedingDisease resistance breedingDisease resistance breedingDisease resistance breeding

• western white and sugar pines– blister rust resistance– USDA For Serv (Moscow, ID; Doreena, OR)– BC MoFR and Canadian Forest Service

• loblolly and slash pines– fusiform rust resistance– NCSU / U. Florida / WGTIP

• radiata pine – Dothistroma (For Res Inst., Rotorua)

• poplars (e.g., Greenwood / Mead-Westvaco / many European countries)

–Melampspora –Septoria–Venturia

• chestnut blight (TACF)

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Pest resistance breedingPest resistance breeding Pest resistance breedingPest resistance breeding

• white pine weevil (B.C.)• aphids on spruce (DK,UK)• poplar beetles and borers (China, US)

•>> eucalyptus – leaf beetles•>> mammals- eucs, redcedar•>> birch borer / ash borer•>> adelgids in spruce •>> bark beetles•>> etc

Overview of Current BC ProgramsOverview of Current BC ProgramsOverview of Current BC ProgramsOverview of Current BC Programs

• Changing directions of trait objectives– Growth and form selected in first

generations• Pest resistance ‘models’

– Spruce (weevil)– Pine (bark beetle)– Redcedar (deer)

• Disease resistance ‘models’– White pine (blister rust)– Redcedar (needle disease)– Douglas-fir (root rot)– Pine (gall rusts)

Sitka spruce clone #898 – immune to all attacks todate!

??

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Breeding and deploying deer resistance western redcedar

Breeding and deploying deer resistance western redcedar

• Observed variation in browse among trees

• Browse correlated with needle monoterpenes

• Genetic variation in monoterpenes

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% failed

tota

l n

eed

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ote

rpen

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m)

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Antoine Arthur Jean-Louis

Barb Louise Mélusine Tania

Deer

app

les

con

sum

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(g

)

control thujone

•thujone •Control

•Monoterpenes in redcedar appear ‘repellent’ to deer!

•Thujone at redcedar concentrations

•Western redcedar browse resistanceWestern redcedar browse resistance

Family mean BLUP effects for 5 year height and needle alpha-thujone content in a western redcedar open-pollinated

family trial

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delta-3-carene

?

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NSlow

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PRlow

TOhigh

TOlow

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MT_h

Yukon

B

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Will this approach serve us well Will this approach serve us well into the future?into the future?

Will this approach serve us well Will this approach serve us well into the future?into the future?

• Pests and diseases we will be facing?– Shifting species and population ranges into new

environments– Increased activity/damage in current distributions – Continuing exotic pest and disease introductions

• Can’t afford to develop specific resistances to pest ‘x’ or disease ‘y’?

– 15 - 40 years per programme to develop and deploy resistant material?

• 5 additional issues we must consider are…

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1. Resources for pest and diseases 1. Resources for pest and diseases resistance breeding….?resistance breeding….?

1. Resources for pest and diseases 1. Resources for pest and diseases resistance breeding….?resistance breeding….?

• We will likely have fewer resources to incorporate specific host-pest resistance mechanisms– Tree breeders, entomologists, pathologists interested in

screening / phenotyping and working together?

• Dwindling investments and take up of tree improvement programs– TIMO’s, REIT’s, corporate ‘disintegration’

– Use of ‘cheapest seed’

– Global reductions in basic plant breeding and quantitative genetic training

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2. Innovation in applying 2. Innovation in applying resistancesresistances

2. Innovation in applying 2. Innovation in applying resistancesresistances

• Finding specific mechanisms has been extremely difficult– after ~150 papers on mountain birch herbivory

(Haukioja. et al.)… still no clear understanding, e.g.,• Large spectrum of compounds that change over the

growing season• Resistance varies by herbivore spp.• Changes in nutrients, water content and leaf

toughness as important as any chemicals– general mechanisms against ‘classes’ of

pests?– may be more difficult with diseases?

• Large investments in host-pest / disease research is still being made, however;– better $ alignment with applied programmes that

deliver resistant germplasm, if possible

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3. Studies on non-pedigreed trees3. Studies on non-pedigreed trees 3. Studies on non-pedigreed trees3. Studies on non-pedigreed trees

• Studies on wild trees, while important for modelling natural disturbances, they may not;– be able to extrapolate work to

facilitated migration of species / populations under climate change

• Working with pedigreed material from breeding programs, if available, can still provide basic information

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•Map of our 1000 testsMap of our 1000 tests

Distribution Distribution of long-term of long-term genetic field genetic field experiments experiments in B.Cin B.C

• Currently >1000 field installations!

• range in age from 1 to ~50

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EP 513 Coastal Douglas-fir Provenance TestEP 513 Coastal Douglas-fir Provenance Test

• Represents millions of dollars of investment• database management

• documentation

• security

• Annual maintenance expenditures in the order of $350k / yr

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4. Further Investments in Molecular 4. Further Investments in Molecular GeneticsGenetics

4. Further Investments in Molecular 4. Further Investments in Molecular GeneticsGenetics

• Out pacing investments in applied and traditional breeding technology!?; – 30% of the ‘initiatives’ were

molecular based approaches (over the last 10 years)

– of great biological interest, but need to be better aligned with applied programmes

– e.g., phenotyping on seed orchard clones?

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5. Transgenic trees5. Transgenic trees

• Address immediate local insect or disease problems (e.g., use of Bt)

• Still have to operate within well developed breeding programmes– Adequate field testing

– Populations must be managed at the landscape level

• particularly with a climate change ‘lens’• gene flow to wild relatives• consider evolution of virulence or

resistance

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Building resistance ‘portfolios’ to Building resistance ‘portfolios’ to classes of biotic challenges?classes of biotic challenges?

Building resistance ‘portfolios’ to Building resistance ‘portfolios’ to classes of biotic challenges?classes of biotic challenges?

Spruce Genotype

1 Yes No Yes Good

2 … No Yes Yes Average

…100 Yes No No AveragePine Genotype

1 Yes Yes Yes No

2 … No Yes No Yes

…80 No No Yes Yes

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ConclusionsConclusions: : after 50 years of tree breeding…after 50 years of tree breeding…

ConclusionsConclusions: : after 50 years of tree breeding…after 50 years of tree breeding…

•…relatively minor global impacts of resistance breeding, however;

– some, locally very important successes

– few species have the tree improvement ‘machinery’ in place

– substantial research not directed on problems where silvicultural management options are limited (e.g., Pw, chestnut)?

• New approaches necessary?– better focus of resources?

– general ‘mechanisms’ of resistance (i.e., cross resistance?)

• Finding resistance genotypes is not our main challenge; – test our current resistances/genotypes across ‘new’ classes of pests and diseases resistance (i.e., cross resistance?)

– can we build the internal capacity to do so?

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Thank you!Thank you!

Every really new idea looks crazy at first.

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)

The important thing is never to stop questioning.

Albert Einstein

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)

Acknowledgements- John Russell, John King, Barry Jaquish, Mike Carlson, Nick Ukrainetz

Photo: A. Woods