Even better cultivars of Salix
Plant breeding has increased the yield of willow trees (Salix) on bioenergy plantations by 60 per cent over the last twenty years. Demand is likely to increase substantially both in Sweden and the rest of Europe.
The long-term goal of the Salix project at SLU is to develop breeding methods where selection with traditional methods is difficult or inefficient. Growth rate, resistance to leaf beetles and rust fungus, as well as tolerance of frost, drought and heat, are the main factors that have an impact on biomass production.
The researchers are studying the way that different families of Salix use water and nutrients, and how well their leaves resist high temperatures. Resistance to rust fungus is being studied by monitoring the development of the disease and performing infection trials. The mechanisms of leaf beetle resistance are also being examined.
Published:
2010-09-23
Leef beetle and rust fungus resistance are aims of Salix breeding. Photo: Christer Björkman (leef beetles), Berit Samils (rust fungus)