INTRINSIC QUALITIES, GROWTH- ANT) ADAPTATION - 

 POTENTIAL OF PINUS WALLICHIANA 



P. D. Dogra 

 Tree Genetics laboratory, National Botanic 



Gardens, Lucknow, India 



Blue pine {Pinus wallichiana, syn. F. griffithii) in the 

 Himalayas has a wide adaptation. Seven altitudinal provenance 

 types are recognized. Four are adapted to the outer moist 

 and inner dry northwest Himalayas; and three, to the outer 

 wet, middle moist and inner dry eastern Himalayas. The 

 major blue pine forests grow in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, 

 Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. In these regions the best growth 

 is that of the moist upper level blue pine and the dry low 

 level blue pine. Bhutan is the major blue pine area of the 

 east. High fertility, abundant seed production and adapta- 

 tion of the species to various regions are responsible for 

 its wide distribution. A weak reproductive barrier exists 

 between the blue pine populations growing at lower and higher 

 altitudes of both moist and dry zones but a strong reproduc- 

 tive barrier is functional between the moist and the dry arid 

 zone blue pine populations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar 

 Pradesh. Genotypical differences can, therefore, be expected 

 to be present in these provenance types. 



INTRODUCTION 



Pinus uallichiar.a A. B. Jacks, [syn. ?. griffithii McClell.), the 

 blue pine, belonging to the soft and white pine group Strobi , section 

 -~z '. :■,;:'.:■■-. ;Shaw, 1914, L924] . ar.d P. roadmrghii Sarg. are the two 

 commercially important and widely distributed pine species in India. 



Blue pine is highly resistant to blister rust caused by Cronartium 

 vihicota J.C. Fisch. ex Rabenh. ?. wallichiana crosses with the other 

 white pines have produced hybrids resistant to blister rust which show 

 adaptability, good growth, and hybrid vigor (Wright, 1953, 1959, 1962; 

 Righter and Duffield, 1951; Duffield and Righter, 1955; Heimburger, 1958, 

 1961; Bingham, 1967) . The good seed-set seen in some of the interspecific 

 cross -combinations with P. walZichiana makes large-scale production of 

 hybrids possible. 



The germ plasm of ?. wallichiar.a used in crosses with other white 

 pine species is probably of unknown geographic origin. Performance 

 of the hybrids is, therefore, based on qualities of a few biotypes at 

 the most. Naturally, these provide only a preliminary estimate 



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