The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine the time of year when representative Abies stem cuttings will root most successfully in east-central Indiana. The second purpose was to identify a suitable nutrient medium and the appropriate environmental conditions for the initiation and maintenance of Abies concolor callus by tissue culture techniques.A review of the literature indicated that there have been few studies conducted on either the propagation of Abies species.Included in the review of literature is a summary of the studies concerning the propagation of Abies cuttings and the tissue culturing of Abies species, and also a core of background literature pertaining to the methods utilized in propagating other coniferous species.This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved the propagation of Abies stem cuttings. From September 1967 to May 1968, stem cuttings were taken at two-week intervals from terminal branches of mature Abies concolor trees. Abies stem cuttings or on tissue culturing of Abies species.The bases of the cuttings in the treatment groups were dusted with one percent growth regulator powders of B-naphthoxyacetic acid, parachlorophenoxyacetic acid, ethyl-3-indoleacetate, indole-3-acetic acid, 3-indolepropionic acid, or B-2-furylacrylic acid. The cuttings were rooted in a coarse sand propagating medium. The propagation bench was equipped with both controlled bottom temperature regulation and an intermittent mist system. The rooting results of these cuttings were recorded in November 1968. Based on these results, stem cuttings were taken weekly during January and February of 1969 from terminal branches of mature Abies concolor and Abies balsamea trees. These cuttings received the same treatment as did those taken in 1967 and 1968. The rooting results of these cuttings were recorded in November 1969.The second phase of this study involved the tissue culturing of Abies concolor. Inocula were prepared from terminal stem sections taken from mature trees. The stem sections were deneedled while immersed in ethyl alcohol and then sterilized in household bleach for ten minutes. The stem sections were cut into inocula approximately 8-10end up, on several different types of defined and undefined media. The cultures were maintained in the dark at a temperature of 27.5 + 2° C. under saturated humiditymillimeters in length.The inocula were inserted, basal conditions. Results of the cutting propagation phase indicated that optimal rooting of Abies concolor cuttings occurred when taken from the middle of January to the middle of February. Cuttings in the treatment groups formed better root systems than did the control cuttings. One hundred percent rooting occurred on all Abies concolor cuttings taken on January 29, 1968. Rooting results obtained from the Abies balsamea cuttings were poorer than those from Abies concolor. None of the Abies balsamea cuttings in the control groups rooted. In no instance was the percentage of rooting of Abies balsamea cuttings greater than forty percent.Results of the tissue culturing phase indicated that callus can be initiated from inocula prepared from terminal stem sections of mature Abies concolor trees on a modified Winton medium. The successful cultures were initiated in the dark at a temperature of 27.5 + 2° C. under saturated humidity conditions. At six weeks, each callus was transferred to fresh medium where it continued to grow. After the initial transfer, the callus was transferred to fresh medium every three weeks. At the end of ninety days the callus was still growing on the undefined medium.

Graduation date: 1989

Abies concolor (white fir) is one of the many conifers often planted as an ornamental tree. Like so many other conifers, Abies is difficult to vegetatively propagate. Recent successes in using the techniques of tissue culture as a means of vegetatively propagating plants prompted the present study of applying these techniques to Abies.A review of the literature indicated that no conifer had ever been grown into plantlets by using the techniques of tissue culture. Only a very few reports exist for cellular differentiation although nearly thirty species of conifers have been grown in-vitro as callus.The review of literature also indicated that a variety of growth regulators, supplements and conditions of growth were utilized in promoting differentiation and the development of plants from callus. Since no consistent patterns emerge as guidelines for achieving differentiation, a proposal was made to test the effects of several growth regulators on callus tissue of Abies in hopes of causing differentiation and organogenesis.Terminal stem sections from the lower branches of a mature tree of Abies concolor were removed, sterilized and and placed on experimental solid media containing mineral salts, growth regulators and organic supplements. Growth of a callus occurred as a cream-colored friable mass on several of the media. When examined, however, the growth was found to consist of only parenchymatous cells. When transferred to a medium (G7) containing coconut milk, casein hydrolysate and 2 mg/l kinetin, compact, hemispherical nodules developed over a period of six weeks.A number of these nodules were fixed, embedded,'sectioned and stained with safranin and fast green. These were examined with a microscope and comparative photographs between this type of growth and the friable callus were made.Sections of the nodules showed a more compact arrangement of cells and an incomplete ring of growth consisting of cells arranged in radial files as if produced by a cambium. The center of the incomplete ring contained parenchymatous cells primarily, but scattered tracheid-like cells with bordered pits were also noted. Photographs of the well organized incomplete ring of growth and the tracheid-like cells were made.It can be concluded that differentiation of Abies concolor callus did occur on the G7 medium and that this represents a positive step toward organogenesis using the techniques of tissue culture.

Thesis (M.S.)-Oregon State University, 1975. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-127). Also available via the Internet.

Final Report / Contract on 43-8371-4-628 / For: USDA, Forest Service, Southwestern Region / Regional outbreaks of western spruce budworms (Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman) have recurred at least three times in northern New Mexico since the early 1920's when the U. S. Forest Service first began systematic forest-pest surveys and documentation (Lessard 1975, U. S. Forest Service documents). The current outbreak was first noticed in a small area on the Taos Indian Reservation in 1974, and since then the defoliated areas have increased in New Mexico and Arizona to more than 370,000 acres of Federal, Indian, State and private lands (Linnane 1984). Losses in timber values can generally be ascribed to radial growth loss, height growth loss, topkilling, reduced regeneration, and mortality (Carlson et al. 1983, Fellin et al. 1983). A damage assessment project was initiated in 1978 and was aimed at obtaining measurements of some of these losses in budworm infested stands on the Carson National Forest, New Mexico (Holland and Lessard 1979). A large data base has subsequently been developed, including yearly measurements on topkilling, mortality, defoliation, and insect population changes (Stein 1980, 1981, Stein and McDonnell 1982, Rogers 1984). A growth assessment study was undertaken in 1982 to determine the feasibility of using dendrochronological methods to identify the timing of past outbreaks and to quantify radial growth losses associated with budworm defoliation (Swetnam 1984). Results of this work showed that three major outbreaks during the twentieth century were clearly visible in the tree-ring samples obtained from currently infested trees. The radial growth of host trees was corrected for age, climate and other non-budworm environmental effects, and then growth losses were computed as a percentage of expected growth (Swetnam 1984). Additional collections were obtained in 1984 in order to expand the scope of the radial growth study. The objectives included 1) assessment of a larger number of tree -ring samples, 2) comparison of radial growth losses between the two primary host species - Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and white fir (Abies concolor), 3) comparison of radial growth losses between age classes, and 4) analysis of the relationship between yearly measurements of defoliation, insect populations and radial growth. This report summarizes the findings of the above analyses. Increment core samples from the 1982 collections are included here, therefore this report supersedes the earlier report (Swetnam 1984). Information is also presented on observations derived from the dated tree-ring series on the timing of occurrence of known and inferred spruce budworm outbreaks for the past 284 years (1700- 1983). This is the longest record of spruce budworm occurrence yet developed for western North America.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-42). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.