Abstract
This study was conducted to select plus trees of two evergreen oaks, Quercus salicina and Q. glauca, in Korea. Evergreen oaks are distributed in subtropical region in Korea and have recently emerged as one of the alternative tree species against climate change. Accordingly, a tree breeding program is underway to foster evergreen oaks as a reforestation species for the future. Through intensive survey on the distribution range, 15 stands (8 for Q. salicina, 3 for Q. glauca, and 4 for both species) were selected as base populations. To select candidate trees, we developed a subjective grading system with six characteristics in three categories and introduced a weighted generalized value (GVIw) to compare superiority of candidate trees. The candidate trees were screened using baseline value ‘0’, i.e., if GVIw > 0, then accepted and if GVIw < 0, then rejected. After then, adjustment was conducted to avoid biasing the selection of plus trees for a particular location. Through this process, 44 candidate trees in Q. salicina and 41 candidate trees in Q. glauca were selected as plus trees. Finally, the results and implications were discussed in relation to evergreen oak breeding in Korea.
Highlights
The genus Quercus is one of the most important angiosperms in the northern hemisphere in terms of species diversity, ecological dominance, and economic value
The latitudinal range was from 33.33◦ (Sanghyo) to 34.47◦ N (Sacheon) and the most of altitudinal range was below 200 m above sea level, except for Seoguipo (465 m) and Seoho (602 m)
The mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), and relative humidity (RH) of base populations were ranged 13.6~16.2 ◦ C, 1453.4~1850.8 mm and 69.7~78.2%, respectively. These areas belonged to warm temperate and subtropical region, which were characterized by high temperature, high precipitation, and high humidity in Korea (Figure 1, Table 1)
Summary
The genus Quercus is one of the most important angiosperms in the northern hemisphere in terms of species diversity, ecological dominance, and economic value. Oaks are dominant members of a wide variety of habitats including temperate deciduous forest, temperate and subtropical evergreen forest, subtropical and tropical savannah, and subtropical woodlands [1,2]. Q. aliena Blume) and five evergreen oaks (Q. myrsinifolia Blume, Q. acuta Thunb., Q. glauca Thunb., Q. salicina Blume, and Q. gilva Blume) are naturally distributed. While the deciduous oaks are growing all over the country, from temperate to subtropical regions, evergreen oaks are restricted to subtropical regions, the southernmost part of Korea [3]. Deciduous oaks have been used as a wood resource (timber, media for mushroom cultivation, charcoal, etc.) and their nuts are used for starch production, i.e., acorn jelly
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