Pennspanish Scotch pine developed at Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK - Forest
scientists at Penn State have
developed a new variety of Scotch
pine named Pennspanish.
Production and distribution of seed
of this new variety will be handled
by the Pennsylvania Tree Im
provement Program (Penn-TIP)
of State College.
The arrangement is a novel way
of working together in Christmas
tree improvement, according to
Henry D. Gerhold, forest geneticist
in charge of Christmas tree
breeding research at Penn State.
He said the plan bridges a gap in
getting improved varieties into
production.
Development of Pennspanish
Scotch pine is the most advanced
phase of tree improvement in the
School of Forest Resources at
Penn State. A Scotch pine seed
orchard at University Park was
developed from a progeny tree
planted in 1972. It contains 46
Spanish families of Scotch pine
produced by controlled pollination
of selected trees. In addition, there
are 14 hybrid families having
Spanish female parents, with male
parents from Belgium, France,
Germany, Greece, Poland,
Sweden, Turkey, and Yugoslavia.
The better trees within these
families were selected in 1976 for
superior height, crown form, color,
and stem form. Inferior trees were
removed. The best of the
remaining trees were selected in
1983 for the same traits plus seed
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yields. Then the seed orchard was
thinned to promote genetic quality,
good health, and maximum seed
production.
Seed crops from this orchard will
be released as Pennspanish Scotch
pine. This variety is mainly
Spanish, with a small amount of
hybrid backcrosses. Gerhold said
Pennspanish Scotch pine should
require less shearing than typical
Spanish Scotch pine and should
reach harvest size one to two years
earlier.
Pennspanish has crowns that are
denser, more symmetrical, and
more uniform than varieties of
Spanish Scotch pine now available
through the seed trade, Gerhold
reported. The winter color is also
darker green than present
varieties.
He estimated that Pennspanish
trees should be 20 percent im
proved over other Spanish
varieties in crown form and
density. Color should be improved
by 15 percent and growth rate by 7
percent.
“We suggest that a grower
adjust shearing practices by
leaving longer leaders and by
delaying shearing until two or
three years before harvest. This
will permit faster growth so that
Pennspanish trees can be har
vested one to two years earlier
than usual,” Gerhold commented.
The Penn State seed orchard
produced about 16 pounds of seed
in 1982, containing some 39,000
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299-3794
seeds per pound. Penn Staters
claim about 400,000 seedlings could
be grown from this quantity under
ordinary nursery practices. In
1983, about 28 pounds of seed was
harvested. Future seed supplies
are expected to increase as the
trfees grow.
Pennspanish seed has been
released by the College of
Agriculture to Penn-TIP for
distribution to tree nurseries in
1984. Future crops will be har
vested by Penn-TIP and sold to
nurseries. Pennspanish seedlings
will be available from commercial
nurseries.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - George
Roche, the Maryland Department
of Agriculture’s “strawberry
man”, reports that the famed
Lower Eastern Shore 1984
strawberry crop is “running late,
but the berries are looking great.
Pick-your-own strawberries in
most regions of the state were
expected to start coming in this
weekend. Northern Maryland PYO
farms probably won’t have berries
until about June Ist.
“The good news is that we are
seeing an excellent set of blooms,”
he added.
Maryland’s commercial
strawberry business for decades
has been centered in Somerset
“Penn-TIP is currently growing
offspring from 270 trees in the seed
orchard, plus several commercial
varieties, for comparison in
performance tests to be planted in
1985,” Dr. Gerhold stated. “Test
results from several locations will
show how much genetic gain ac
tually has been achieved,” he
added.
Equally important, Christmas
tree growers will have an op
portunity to evaluate the improved
variety under their own conditions.
Penn-TIP was chartered in 1982
as a non-profit corporation under
the Pennsylvania Agriculture
Md. strawberries are due
County on the Lower Eastern
Shore. At one time, that area was
known as the “Strawberry capital
of the world,” but in recent
decades the industry almost
disappeared.
Roche says a new growers
organization, “Somerset Produce
Growers Association”, has been
established and is conducting a
coordinated program of growing,
harvest, grading and shipment of
the berries to Baltimore-
Washington area markets.
“This is the best news we have
seen since the Princess Anne
strawberry auction block closed
two years ago. That was the low
point of our strawberry industry in
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Association Act. Edgar H. Palpant
of State College was appointed
program director. Membership is
open to any member of the Penn
sylvania Christmas Tree Growers’
Association or to members of any
other state association that agrees
to participate.
Purposes of Penn-TIP are to
provide genetic information to help
members use the best tree
varieties available-and to furnish
genetically improved seed and
trees. Penn-TIP makes available
trees of several species for
progeny tests as well as for seed
orchards to be planted.
Maryland. We expect shipments to
double in volume this year over
1963 and may double again in 1965.
“However, it’s important for
retailers and customers to bear in
mind the sensitivity of Maryland
berries and that is that they are
picked so 'fresh they must be
shipped, sold and used quickly.
Their superb flavor comes from a
short season berry variety.
Buying groups, retailers or
groups planning a strawberry
festival should contact Roche at
(301) 841-5770 for market in
formation on berries or they can
contact the growers’ organization
directly in Somerset County by
calling (301) 651-2113,651-0061 (day
or 651-0965 (night).
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