Rodrigo Olave & Gerry Douglas

Developing Improved Sycamore

• Tim Rowland

• Michael Carey (1st chairman)

• Andrew Leslie (1st Secretary)

• John McNamara

• Andrew Clark

• Gavin Munro

• Keith Mills

• Iain Garrett

• Rob Lee

• David Boshier

• Peter Savill

• Charles Dutton

• Jo Clark

• Steve Garrett

• David Norris

• Alan Harrison

• Rob Sykes

• Steve Lee

• Jason Hubert

• Sam Firkins

• Hannah Taylor

• Jim McAdam

• Emma Jackson

• Chris Hardy

• John Kavanagh

• Linda Walsh

• Monica Murphy

• Pat Doody

• Alice Snowden

• Alan Gale

• Andy Leitch

• Rick Worrell

• Gordon Kennedy

Developing Improved Sycamore

Overall Objective

• To improve the vigour and quality of the basic planting stocks

Specific objectives

• To facilitate the development and utilisation of seeds of improved genetic quality

Methods to achieve objectives

Business Plan

Breeding Strategy

Accomplishments

1. Securing the registration of ‘Selected’ Seed Stands

• Republic of Ireland – 7 stands

• Britain – 5 stands

• Northern Ireland – 1 stand

2. Establishing a conservation collection of Plus trees

• Republic of Ireland – 1 conservation area (Teagasc)

• England – 1 conservation area (Maelor)

3. Establishment of ‘Qualified’ clonal seed orchards

• England – 2 clonal seed orchards (Maelor, Forestart),

• Scotland – 1 clonal seed orchard (Forestry Commission)

• Northern Ireland – 1 clonal seed orchards (AFBI)

• Republic of Ireland 1 clonal seed orchard (None So Hardy)

4. Establishment of progeny tests

• Northern Ireland – 1 progeny test (Antrim)

• England – 1 progeny test (Cirencester)

Scions from Gavin Munro to Teagasc

Scions from Plus tree -- Harlaw wood

Grafted Sycamores at Teagasc for establishing clonal seed orchards

Conservation collection of all Plus trees at Teagasc

• shoot material from to generate plants for seed orchards

• seeds for testing

• registered as improved ‘Selected’

Established Seed orchards of sycamore

Location of

seed orchards

Country Year

established

No. Plus tree

genotypes in

each seed

orchards

Coillte Republic of Ireland 2003 45

Maelor England 2009 107

Loughgall Northern Ireland 2009 **182

Forestart England 2012 145

Galloway Scotland 2014 **160

None- so Hardy Republic of Ireland 2016 **135

** 4 ramets of each Plus tree in these orchards-- Additional Plus tree material in Conservation collections at Teagasc and Coillte

Sycamore Seed Orchards

Forest Research, Rob Sykes

Scotland

Republic of Ireland

England

Northern Ireland

Flowering and seed production

Seeds produced from Plus trees Teagasc Kinsealy

and AFBI are now in production nurseries

Seed yield in 2014

Teagasc (9 yr old)

49 Kg

Coillte (13 yr old)

60Kg

AFBI (4 yr old)

16 Kg

Progeny from 35 Plus trees are now in Progeny tests in

• Northern Ireland (Andrew Clark, Antrim)

• England (Keith Mills, Bathurst)

Testing the performance of progeny from Plus trees

• Performance on individual Plus trees

• Variability within between each family

• Ranking of Plus trees

• To obtain ‘ Qualified’ status for Seed orchards

• To rogue the clonal seed orchards

Established Test of progeny from Plus trees (2016):

Andrew Clark: Antrim, Northern Ireland

35 families + 3 control seed lots England, Ireland, Denmark

Test of progeny from Plus trees (2016)

Keith Mills: Bathurst Cirencester

• Reforestation site

• 33 Families

• Controls from England, Ireland, Denmark

The future for Sycamore

• Further development of the genetic resources of sycamore

• Promote the benefits of using improved material

• More & new partners are welcome and needed for the next stages

• Developing a NEW BUSINESS PLAN for sycamore

Thank you!