Species and Provenance Testing of European and Japanese Species

Abstract

European and Japanese species P. pinaster, P. nigra, Larix decidua and Larix leptolepis were covered. P. pinaster was used in NZ forestry on P-deficient sites, and its wide-ranging populations were worthy of testing. The two larch species used, L. decidua from Europe and L. leptolepis from Japan, should probably have not been included in breeding programmes, according to the view of John Miller, responsible for larch improvement. Much effort was devoted to producing hybrids between the two species. P. nigra was an important ‘mainstream’ species, but its Corsican provenance was severely defoliated by the fungal leaf disease Dothistroma pini. It had wide-ranging provenances, well worth testing. P. sylvestris provenances were restricted to five from Spain, and a single plot of each, all unpromising, was planted at four sites in NZ.