Trends in the development of Pinus sylvestris breeding in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of trends in the breeding of Pinus sylvestris L. – the main forest-forming species in Russia. The official materials of State inventories for the last 25 years, as well as a number of scientific publications have been used. The quantitative indices of plus trees’ selection; creation of clones’ archives, provenance trials and population-ecological trials; allocation of forest genetic reserves and plus stands; organization of temporary and permanent forest-seed plots; creation of root-cutting plantations and forest-seed orchards; and progeny field tests of plus trees were studied. The analysis of the development of Scots pine breeding showed that from 1996 to 2019, the number of plus trees decreased by 22%. The area of forest seed orchards decreased by 35% over the same time period. In general, for most areas of Scots pine breeding in Russia, for one reason or another, there is a decrease in the volume of work, sometimes several times (in particular, for permanent forest-seed plots by 16.7 times). In comparison with Finland, in Russia, the intensity of plus trees’ selection is 7.7 times lower, and the existence of forest-seed orchards is 7.2 times lower.