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Tree Improvement Program Project Report 2006 / 2007

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to determine the effects of various treatments on crop<br />

production.<br />

Results<br />

OTIP will not be supporting this project in <strong>2007</strong>. This<br />

report contains the final recommendations for crown<br />

management of an interior spruce high-density seed<br />

orchard.<br />

We are not able to provide final crown management<br />

recommendations for interior Douglas-fir. We began<br />

pruning this orchard in the fall of 2004. The trial has not<br />

been in place long enough to provide enough data to draw<br />

conclusions.<br />

Crown management n the spruce m cro orchard<br />

Currently we are applying four different treatments to<br />

ramets in our interior spruce micro orchard.<br />

0<br />

T R E E I M P R O V E M E N T P R O G R A M<br />

Figure xx. Treatments applied to ramets in the interior spruce micro orchard <strong>2007</strong><br />

P R O J E C T R E P O R T 2 0 0 6 / 2 0 0 7<br />

Output and del verables: recommendat ons for<br />

crown management of the spruce m cro orchard<br />

We discovered that the control group always yielded a<br />

much greater cone and pollen crop than the other methods.<br />

However, leaving the trees unmanaged is definitely not an<br />

option in a micro-orchard setting. Because space is limited,<br />

it is essential to manage the growth of each ramet so that it<br />

does not expand out of its allotted area.<br />

Operational-style pruning is the most effective crown<br />

management technique to apply to an interior spruce<br />

high-density seed orchard. This technique delivers the most<br />

consistent flower crop. It is also the easiest technique to<br />

implement because it requires no labour-intensive branch<br />

training.<br />

Trtmt # Description Prune Leader? Prune Branches? Train?<br />

1 Height Control, Branch Train To 3m. if unable to train Only if extending past 0.5<br />

m. into row<br />

2 Freestyle As seen fit As seen fit As seen fit<br />

3 Operational Style Pruning Prune 75% current leader<br />

growth. Not to exceed 3 m.<br />

Remove 75% current<br />

growth to promote hedge<br />

effect<br />

4 Control None None None<br />

Table 10. Treatments appl ed to ramets n the nter or spruce m cro orchard <strong>2007</strong>.<br />

.2. Test ng the Effects of Upgraded<br />

Irr gat on Del very Systems<br />

n an Inter or Spruce Seed<br />

Orchard, an Inter or Lodgepole<br />

P ne Seed Orchard, and a<br />

Western Larch Seed Orchard<br />

(SPU 0 12).<br />

Gary G ampa<br />

Object ves<br />

• To determine how the broadcast-delivery irrigation<br />

system affects orchard performance.<br />

To other branches on same<br />

tree.<br />

Prune or remove branches<br />

extending >0.5 m. into rows<br />

• To compare the portion of each orchard treated with<br />

the upgraded system to the portion of each orchard that<br />

continues to be watered by the old drip-style system.<br />

• To extend the trial to orchard 332 in order to determine<br />

how the larch responds to broadcast irrigation.<br />

• To make the results of this study available to other seed<br />

orchard managers.<br />

Act v t es<br />

In the summer of 2004, we selected permanent sample trees<br />

in each orchard (82 trees in orchard 305 and 80 trees in<br />

orchard 307). The sample trees were chosen in pairs, based<br />

on establishment date: one tree in the area irrigated with<br />

the micro sprinklers and the other in the drip-irrigated area.

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