RADICAL

RADICAL

Genetic analysis of the quality of radiata pine wood.

To learn about the genes involved in the quality of radiata pine wood.

1- Control of genotypes in the experiment carried out by INIA in the Balmaseda plots.

2- Preparing tests on families for future water quality and stress studies.

3- Genetic differences between different types of wood (juvenile/adult, summer/winter).

4- Genes responsible for differences in the quality of wood.

“The project is made up of 3 clearly differentiated parts:

1.- Completing the genotyping (SSRs) of the Balmaseda plots (in which INIA has collected samples in order to analyse the quantity / proportion of juvenile wood based on the forestry treatments carried out).

2.- Preparation of a test on families replicated in the field and in greenhouses to analyse the relationship between wood quality and tolerance to water stress (Javi Herrero). Experiments on water stress can begin around 2022, while the quality of (juvenile) wood can be measured in 2027-2028. We need collaborators from the sector and/or the administration to implement and maintain the field test. We will use data from the 2011 and 2017 forest inventories to optimise the selection of the mothers of the respective families.

3.- Carrying out a doctoral thesis on the quality of wood in radiata pine. IT consists of two experiments. (a) In the first of them we will analyse the functional genes in juvenile and adult wood by massive sequencing (NGS), both for summer and winter wood. The newest part of this experiment will be the analysis of small RNAs and microRNAs. This experiment will give us a “photo” of the gene activity in different types of wood. (b) In the second experiment, we intend to carry out a study of the association of the quality of radiata pine wood using “Targeted Capture” to genotype the trees by means of NGS. With this experiment we want to know which genetic variants are responsible for the existence of plants with different qualities of wood. This result is of great interest in obtaining markers that facilitate the early selection of trees with a higher quality of wood in the genetic improvement programme.