In a recent publication, Laoué and collaborators combined QTL and transcriptomic approaches to identify a set of genes involved in the synthesis of phenolic defence compounds in white spruce. A major QTL responsible for the constitutive production of neolignane-2 was discovered, as well as 50 genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway, which were differentially expressed among trees showing high and low concentrations in flavonoids, stilbenoids and neolignans. This work sheds new light regarding the genes involved in response to biotic and abiotic stress in white spruce. Link to the publication.

An article by Galeano and collaborators based on SNP genotyping showed that on average, 30% of seedlots were contaminated by exogenous pollen in a white spruce open-pollinated seed orchard of Alberta. The source of pollen contamination was located one kilometer away from the seed orchard upstream of dominant winds. In addition, this study showed that the achievement of 5% genetic gain in height through eliminating two-thirds of the orchard generated an eight-fold loss in effective population size, while observed heterozygosity and inbreeding remained largely unaffected by tree selection. Link to the publication.

On December 3, at a ceremony held in Ottawa, the team of the FastTRAC spruce genomics technology transfer project was rewarded with the Impact Prize for excellence in science from Natural Resources Canada.

A study by Beaulieu and collaborators has shown that needle concentration in acetophenone aglycons (secondary metabolites involved in resistance to spruce budworm) could be genetically improved in white spruce using genomic selection, and that this trait could be integrated to multi-trait selection also implicating growth and wood quality (full article here).

A study by Depardieu and collaborators relying on the retrospective analysis of tree-ring and genetic data in 43 natural populations of white spruce has shown that growth resilience after extreme drought events was under genetic control, and that this trait represents a promising avenue for breeders to improve spruce resistance to drought in the context of climate change (full article here).

Three new publications focusing on 1) multi-trait genomic selection and weevil resistance in Norway spruce (Full article here), 2) impact of polycross mating designs on genomic predictions in white spruce (Full article here), and 3) a costs – benefits analysis on the implementation of genomic selection in plantations from Québec (Full article here).

Article available here:
Azaïez et al. 2018

Genomic selection is the latest technology added to the suite of conventional methods for tree improvement. It provides an analysis of genomic profiles to enable determination at a young age of the future value individual trees obtained through breeding. Such analysis supports the selection of the best individuals for particular traits. Thus, new improved varieties of trees are available for reforestation much sooner. Several years of research have made it possible to develop this method and make it operational in spruce breeding programs in Québec and New Brunswick. The FastTRAC project is the catalyst for this shift from science to practice.

A virtual tour will allow you to learn more about the production of spruce seedlings from genomic selection and the operational gains achieved as well as the research behind the innovation. This tour contains six panoramic stations (360-degree images that can be moved horizontally and vertically), 35 vignettes (tooltips), and 9 video clips. Start the virtual tour of the FastTRAC project at https://visitesvirtuelles.partenariat.qc.ca/fasttrac/en/app/presentation.

August 19 to 23, 2019 Lac Delage, Québec

Applied forest genetics – where do we want to be in 2049?

www.acgf-cfga-conference.com

Accessible at the following link:
Lamara, M., G.J. Parent, I. Giguère, J. Beaulieu, J. Bousquet & J.J. MacKay. 2018. Association genetics of acetophenone defence against spruce budworm in mature white spruce. BMC Plant Biology 18: 231 (15p.).

The third annual meeting of the FastTRAC project was held in Quebec City on October 18-19, 2017. Nearly 30 scientists, partners and collaborators met to discuss progress, address user concerns and ensure that knowledge transfer meets their needs.
On the first day, the genomic selection results on Norway spruce and white spruce data sets were first discussed in depth with the users and additional analyzes needed to meet their needs were identified in order to facilitate the uptake of genomic selection by the users’ breeding programs. In the afternoon, the results of the financial and economic analyzes of various scenarios for the use of improved genetic material were discussed, highlighting the benefits of genomic selection.

On the second day, the participants met in one of the white spruce genetic tests of the Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, which was used for research carried out by the FastTRAC project. The participants could continue their exchanges while being able to appreciate the superiority of the trees selected for the white spruce advanced breeding program.