Productivité et Stabilité Phénotypique de l'Épinette Rouge au Québec

Abstract

Fifteen red spruce provenances were planted in 1959 on abandoned farmland in Quebec. Volume productivity and phenotypic stability parameters, 25 years after planting, are presented. Provenance-environment interaction is significant in red spruce. However, the importance of the phenotypic instability may have been influenced by the southern origin of some provenances and by an unequal damage caused by a yellowheaded spruce sawfly outbreak in one of the sites. Three provenances are of average stability and perform relatively well on all sites. They could be recommended for reforestation under certain conditions. However, the productivity of even these provenances is much lower than expected, probably owing to the susceptibility of the species to winter desiccation and severe frost damage when planted on exposed sites. Key words: Provenance-environment interaction, winter desiccation, bud freezing injury, provenances, combined regression analysis.