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Very early selection for solid wood quality: screening for early winners

Sélection très précoce pour les propriétés du bois massif : détection précoce des individus les plus performants

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 601 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • This article reviews the theoretical basis for indirect selection — where early selection is an example — and how correlated response is calculated.

  • • The review is followed by a description of issues as to the choice of selection criteria that could explain the lack of substantial progress on breeding for wood quality. These include: the autoregressive nature of selection criteria, overemphasizing the importance of basic density as selection criterion, ignoring age-related trends of wood properties, using rotation age rather than technical thresholds as objective traits and ignoring that not all grades have identical marginal economic value.

  • • Three data sets are either analyzed for the first time or reanalyzed under different assumptions, to explore the importance of these criticisms.

  • • Finally, the use of critical value thresholds as very early selection criteria is suggested and discussed in the context of improving intrinsic corewood quality.

Résumé

  • • Cet article passe en revue les bases théoriques des méthodes de sélection indirecte — parmi lesquelles figure la sélection précoce — et la manière dont le gain corrélé est calculé.

  • • Cette revue est suivie d’une description des problèmes liés au choix des critères de sélection et qui pourraient expliquer le manque de progrès substantiel suite à l’amélioration pour les propriétés du bois. Ceux-ci incluent l’auto-corrélation des critères de sélection, l’exagération de l’importance de la densité comme critère de sélection, l’oubli de l’évolution des propriétés du bois avec l’âge cambial, l’utilisation de l’âge de révolution comme caractère-cible plutôt que des seuils techniques et l’oubli que toutes les classes de produits n’ont pas la même valeur économique marginale.

  • • Trois jeux de données ont été soit analysés pour la première fois soit ré-analysés sous différentes hypothèses pour explorer l’importance de ces critiques.

  • • Enfin, l’utilisation de seuils critiques comme critères de sélection très précoce est suggérée et discutée dans le cadre de l’amélioration intrinsèque de la qualité du bois juvénile.

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  1. School of Forestry, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Luis A. Apiolaza

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Correspondence to Luis A. Apiolaza.

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Apiolaza, L.A. Very early selection for solid wood quality: screening for early winners. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 601 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009047

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Annals of Forest Science

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