Towards intensification of conifer production through multi-varietal forestry based on somatic embryogenesis
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet - Institutionen för skoglig genetik och växtfysiologi |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 849 900 |
| Project duration | March 2019 - September 2022 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Forest Value ERA-NET cofund |
Important results from the project
The project has increased the understanding of the somatic embryogenesis (SE) process in conifers. SE is a clonal propagation technique with great potential for generating trees with better climate-adaptation. The results increase possibilities to use different types of material for SE-initiation and cost-efficiency through improved methods. Field trials already show that SE-plants can increase productivity and provide a source for the public and foresters to evaluate the SE-tree. The potential for upscaling production from different conifer species was evaluated.
Expected long term effects
Advanced methods for studying SE-initiation were developed and enable future studies on SE-initiation and other processes requiring selection and dissection of very small sample sizes (few hundred cells). The results from this study will provide a platform for future studies. Parallel experiments across several labs seeking to optimize different steps of the SE-process has generated new useable information that help improve yields of the SE-plant production process. Specific testing of different conifer species show potential for upscaling in different species.
Approach and implementation
The project is divided into different work packages dedicated to important aspects of upscaling SE for forestry applications, from fundamental aspects to increase the knowledge about biological processes for the purposes of controlling these, to method optimizations for improved cost-efficiency and installation of field trials to demonstrate the usefulness and potential of SE-plants. These work packages correspond well to the current limitations for large-scale SE plant production. Different project partners have contributed to different extents to the work packages.