A provenance and progency test in northern red oak (quercus rubra L.)

Author

William R. Gall

Date of Award

12-1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Forestry

Major Professor

Eyvind Thor

Committee Members

John Rennie, Otto Schwartz, Kingsley Taft Jr

Abstract

Seedlings of forty-nine open-pollinated families of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) form six geographic sources were evaluated for total height at two, three and four years from seed; for diameter a foot above ground and total height at six years from seed and for date of bud break and number of flushes at four, five, and six years from seed.

The amount of heat required for bud break of northern red oak, as represented by a temperature summation, was not a constant. Total height was not related to latitude of the seed source and is thus probably not controlled by photoperiod. Date of bud break of the seedlings was not associated with latitude and elevation of the seed source and is possibly related to length of frost-free period of the seed source. Seed source selection for date of bud break should prevent frost damage to planted northern red oak seedlings.

Seed source, among-family and within-family selection yield predicted gains in juvenile height of 28 to 55 percent in an open-pollinated seed orchard. These gains depend upon the inclusion of a single outstanding seed source in the test. Such gains should ameliorate the problem of poor juvenile height growth in planted northern red oak.

Heritability estimates for total height six years from seed range from .20 to .37.

Recommended Citation

Gall, William R., "A provenance and progency test in northern red oak (quercus rubra L.). " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1973.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/8217