© 1996 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Micropropagation of adult birch trees: production and field performance
O. P. Jones (1), Margareta Welander (2), Barbara J. Waller (1) and M. S. Ridout (1)
1. Horticulture Research International, East Malling, West Malling, Kent ME19 6BJ, U.K. / 2. Department of Horticulture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 55, S-230 53, Alnarp, Sweden / Received January 25, 1995
Summary
We compared the growth of trees produced by micropropagation from nodal stem sections or callus tissue of a 20-year-old silver
birch (Betula pendula Roth) tree with that of seedlings; growth was monitored for 17 months in pots followed by six years in the field. Micropropagated
trees from both nodal stem sections and callus tissue grew at a similar rate to seedling trees and no obvious mutant types
were observed. However, micropropagated trees were more uniform in height and trunk girth than seedling trees and more than
80% flowered within three years of field planting, whereas only 39% of seedling trees flowered within this time. Micropropagated
trees had less bark fissuring, a mature characteristic, than seedling trees.
Keywords:
Betula pendula, callus, nodal stem explant.
