This book, which contains 20 chapters, integrates the varied subdisciplines of genetics and their applications in gene conservation, tree improvement and biotechnology. Topics covered include: genetic variation in natural forests, the application of genetics in tree improvement and breeding programmes, and genomic sequences and molecular technologies. This book will be a valuable resource for students, scientists and professionals in the plant sciences, especially forest geneticists, tree breeders, forest managers and other natural resource specialists.

The first comprehensive handbook on the seeds of trees and shrubs produced by the USDA Forest Service was USDA Misc. Pub. 654, Woody-Plant Seed Manual. The manuscript was ready for publication in 1941, but World War II delayed publication until 1948. The boom in tree planting in the 1950s and 1960s created a large demand for seeds and exposed the gaps in our knowledge concerning production and quality of seeds of woody plants in general. The 1974 Handbook proved to be very popular both in this country and abroad, leading to five printings and translations in several other languages. More than a quarter-century after its publication, however, numerous advances in tree seed technology have dictated that a new revision is needed; the result is the current volume. Part I contains information on how to get seeds and raise seedlings. Get Your Copy Now.

"Poplar is increasingly recognized as an excellent model tree for the study of tree growth and its underlying physiology and genetics. By studying trees of the genus Populus (poplars, cottonwoods, aspens), which in their native ecosystems play a major role in the re-colonization of sites after disturbances, new insights have been gained into plantation culture and the development of improved cultivars. Of the 20 chapters in this publication, editored by an international group of researchers, one section deals with systematics, genetics, genetic manipulation and biotic interactions of Populus, while the other deals with stress response and the physiology of growth and productivity" --

This handbook was designed as a reference tool for forest geneticists, tree breeders and other tree improvement personnel, as well as a textbook for university courses and short-courses at the graduate level in quantitative genetics. The chapters focus on the decision points faced by quantitative geneticists and breeders in designing programs and analyzing data. Beginning with a justification for the use of quantitative genetics in decision making in tree improvement programs, the book continues with a brief presentation of fundamental principles, followed by discussions and evaluations of mating designs and field test designs, the use of best linear predictors to estimate breeding values, the use of computer programs in the analysis of variance for genetic information, the deployment of genetically improved stock for capturing gains, the use of economic models for program justification, and the development of seed transfer guidelines.