Open AccessProvenance Experiments with Baldcypress, Live Oak, and Sycamore Illustrate the Potential for Selecting More Sustainable Urban Trees
Author(s) -
Michael A. Arnold,
Donita L. Bryan,
Raúl I. Cabrera,
Geoffrey C. Denny,
Jason Griffin,
Jeffery K. Iles,
Andrew R. King,
Gary W. Knox,
Leonardo Lombardini,
Garry V. McDonald,
Cynthia B. McKenney,
D. Thayne Montague,
Genhua Niu,
H. Brent Pemberton,
Adam Purnell,
Larry J. Shoemake,
Daniel Struve,
W. Todd Watson
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
arboriculture and urban forestry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 2155-0778
pISSN - 1935-5297
DOI - 10.48044/jauf.2012.029
Subject(s) - taxodium , biology , selection (genetic algorithm) , woody plant , tree breeding , ornamental plant , geography , agroforestry , ecology , computer science , artificial intelligence
Ecotypic, clonal, and racial variation present in tree species across their native ranges represent a largely untapped opportunity to select superior seed sources or clonal materials to withstand a variety of unique environmental stresses imposed in built environments and managed landscapes. This paper focuses on three important woody plant genera (Quercus L., Platanus L., and Taxodium Rich.) and researchers’ efforts to discover superior genotypes with tolerances to environmental stresses, including alkaline soil conditions, moisture deficits, and temperature extremes. The study authors are also interested in exploiting geographic provenances and open-pollinated family selection to identify unique genotypes or populations having desirable ornamental attributes, rapid root regeneration potential, and/or desirable plant architecture. A discussion of current results, potential impacts on selection of urban forest trees for managed landscapes, and plans for future development and research are presented.