ArborGen Seed Orchard

Summary

Aubergine's genetic tree stock operation in New Zealand and Australia focuses on breeding trees through open and controlled pollination to meet customers' specific forest improvement needs. The orchard serves as a base for a varietal program, selecting superior genetics for traits like growth, branching habit, and wood density. The process involves controlled pollination, irrigation, and pruning to ensure healthy, vigorous trees. The harvested cones are processed to extract seeds, which are then cleaned, sorted, and sent to nurseries for planting, aiming to enhance forest productivity and product applications.

Takeaways

• 🌳 Aubergine provides genetic tree stocks to customers in New Zealand and Australia through open and controlled pollination methods.
• 🌱 The company faces challenges in meeting the diverse needs of customers, which vary based on their forest sites and silviculture practices.
• 🌿 Aubergine's orchard produces controlled pollinated seed, making the company self-sufficient and able to tailor to customer needs.
• 🏞️ The orchard is strategically located near the sea for optimal flowering and close to the Otaio River for irrigation, both critical for seed growth.
• 🚫 Control pollination involves isolating flowers to prevent external pollen contact, ensuring genetic purity of the seeds.
• 🌼 The breeding program focuses on five key traits: growth straightness, branching habit, frost resistance, wood density, and disease resistance.
• 🌱 The orchard is constantly upgraded with new genetics from ongoing breeding trials to improve tree stock for future forests.
• 🌲 Grafted root stock with old physiologically material on top is used to give trees vigor, enabling early flowering and seed production.
• 🌰 Harvested cones are processed to extract seeds, which are then cleaned, sorted, and treated to ensure high-quality planting stock.
• 🌿 The orchard practices meticulous care, including pruning, irrigation, and foliage sampling, to maintain tree health and productivity.
• 🌱 The investment in genetic improvement is crucial for the long-term success of forestry, ensuring future products meet market demands.

Q & A

What does the term 'aubergine' refer to in the context of the script?

In the context of the script, 'aubergine' seems to be a typographical error. It should likely refer to 'Arbonaut', a company that provides genetic tree stocks to customers in New Zealand and Australia.

What are the methods used for breeding trees in the script?

The trees are bred through both open and controlled pollination methods.

What are the challenges faced in providing planting stock to customers?

Challenges include the need to continuously improve forests, meeting individual customer needs based on their forest site and silviculture, and providing end products that meet their requirements.

How does the orchard ensure self-sufficiency in controlled pollinated seed?

The orchard produces all the control pollinated seed for the company, allowing them to be as self-sufficient as possible.

What is the significance of the orchard's location near the sea?

The proximity to the sea provides a good flowering site, which is critical for the trees' pollination process.

Why is irrigation important for the orchard?

Irrigation is important to ensure the trees grow healthy and strong, which is essential for producing good seed.

How is control pollination achieved in the orchard?

Control pollination is achieved by isolating the flower on the tree during its receptive period in July and August, preventing external pollen from reaching it, and then introducing the desired pollen.

What are the five traits or characteristics that the breeding program focuses on improving?

The breeding program focuses on improving growth straightness, branching habit, frost resistance, wood density, and the trees' overall genetic traits.

How does the orchard manage the genetic improvement of the trees?

The orchard manages genetic improvement by introducing new genetics from ongoing breeding programs and trials, replacing lower-ranked trees with better genetics, and introducing new varietals into the seed orchard.

What is the process for harvesting and processing the cones for seed?

The cones are harvested at the end of the year, air-dried, and then processed through a series of steps including kilning, dehumidifying, cracking, and separating the seeds from the cones and wings.

How does the orchard ensure the genetic integrity of the seeds?

The orchard ensures genetic integrity by carefully harvesting the cones, processing them to separate the seeds, and using machines to sort and clean the seeds, all while tracking their origin.

What is the purpose of the foliage sampling and irrigation monitoring in the orchard?

Foliage sampling and irrigation monitoring are done to identify nutrient status and soil moisture, allowing for the application of fertilizer and adjustment of irrigation to maintain the health and vigor of the trees.

How does the orchard's approach to pruning differ from traditional forestry practices?

The orchard aims to keep the tree low and encourage multiple stems for flowering, which is the opposite of traditional forestry practices that focus on a single straight stem.

What is the long-term goal of the genetic improvement program mentioned in the script?

The long-term goal is to focus on genetic improvements to ensure that the products from the forest have a wider range of applications and are marketable in the future, considering the 30-year time frame of forestry projects.

Outlines

00:00

🌳 Aubergine's Genetic Tree Stock Breeding

Aubergine provides genetic tree stocks to customers in New Zealand and Australia. The trees are bred through open and controlled pollination in nurseries or orchards across the country. The company faces challenges in meeting the diverse needs of customers for planting stock to improve their forests. Each customer has unique requirements based on their forest's silviculture and end products. The orchard is crucial for producing control-pollinated seed, ensuring self-sufficiency and meeting customer needs. The orchard also serves as the base for the company's varietal program, selecting the best trees. The location near the sea and a river is ideal for flowering and irrigation, critical for growing quality seeds. Control pollination involves isolating flowers to prevent external pollen contact during their short receptive period in July and August. The company is involved in an ongoing breeding program, focusing on five key traits: growth, straightness, branching habit, doctor stroma resistance, and wood density. New genetics are continuously introduced into the seed orchard, replacing lower-ranked ones with better genetics. The orchard also incorporates virgin varietals for the next level of tree improvement. The trees are tested for growth and wood properties before being used for seed production. The site, covering 14 hectares with 20,000 trees, is constantly upgraded with better genetics. The trees are grafted root stock, which allows them to start producing flowers within two to three years after planting. Pruning is done to keep the trees low and create multiple growing tips for flowering. Each tree is irrigated, and foliage sampling is conducted annually to ensure nutrient status and apply fertilizers as needed. The cones are harvested and processed to extract seeds, which are then cleaned, sorted, and prepared for sowing in nurseries.

05:01

🌱 Seed Processing and Forestry's Genetic Future

The process of seed processing begins with ensuring genetic integrity by carefully selecting and air-drying harvested cones. In April and May, cones are dehumidified, and then kiln-dried at high temperatures to crack them open, releasing seeds. A machine separates the seeds from the cones and wings, and a sizing machine sorts them by size, removing any debris. An air blowing machine further sorts seeds by weight to distinguish between dead and live seeds. The final product is a sieve of clean, viable seeds ready for sowing. These seeds are then sent to nurseries where they are sown, and after twelve months, they become seedlings for planting in forests. The investment in genetic improvements is crucial for the future of forestry, as it can take up to 30 years to see the benefits. The focus is on enhancing the range of applications for forest products, ensuring marketability in the future. The video script emphasizes the importance of ongoing genetic research and investment in forestry for long-term success.

Keywords

💡Genetic Tree Stocks

Genetic tree stocks refer to the trees that are bred for specific genetic traits to improve the quality of forests. In the video, aubergine provides these stocks to customers in New Zealand and Australia, aiming to continuously improve their forests. The genetic improvement is crucial as it allows for the development of trees with desired characteristics such as growth rate, straightness, and resistance to diseases.

💡Controlled Pollination

Controlled pollination is a technique used to direct the breeding of plants by controlling the pollen transfer. As mentioned in the script, this involves isolating the flower on the tree so that only specific pollen is introduced, ensuring the genetic traits of the offspring are known and controlled. This method is essential for the creation of genetically improved tree stocks.

💡Silviculture

Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The script mentions that each customer has their own needs depending on their forest site and the silviculture of the forest regime they are growing, which influences the type of planting stock they require.

💡Varietal Program

A varietal program in the context of the video refers to the process of selecting and breeding the best trees based on their genetic traits. The script describes how the orchard provides the base for aubergine's varietal program, which involves selecting the 'best of the best' in terms of tree genetics to enhance the overall quality of the forest.

💡Growth Traits

Growth traits are characteristics of a tree that influence its growth patterns, such as straightness, branching habit, and wood density. The video discusses how these traits are important for genetic improvement, as they directly affect the quality and utility of the timber produced from the forest.

💡Seed Orchard

A seed orchard is a specialized area where trees are grown specifically for the production of seeds. In the video, the seed orchard is described as a place where controlled pollination takes place, and where the best genetics are introduced to produce high-quality seeds for planting in forests.

💡Irrigation

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to land or soil to assist in the growth of crops, including trees. The script highlights the importance of irrigation for the seed orchard, as it ensures that the trees receive the necessary water for optimal growth and seed production.

💡Pruning

Pruning is the process of selectively removing parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. In the video, pruning is used to maintain the trees at a manageable height for pollination and seed production, and to encourage the growth of multiple stems for increased flowering and seed yield.

💡Seed Processing

Seed processing involves various steps to prepare seeds for planting, including cleaning, drying, and sometimes treating them to enhance germination. The video describes the process of harvesting cones, drying them, and then processing the seeds to remove wings and sort them by size and weight, resulting in a high-quality seed product.

💡Genetic Improvement

Genetic improvement is the deliberate enhancement of the genetic quality of a population, in this case, trees, through selective breeding. The video emphasizes the importance of ongoing genetic improvement to ensure that the forests have a wider range of applications and are marketable in the future. This involves introducing new genetics and replacing lower-ranked ones with better ones.

💡Seedlings

Seedlings are young plants that have grown from seeds. In the context of the video, the processed seeds are sown in nurseries to grow into seedlings, which are then planted in forests. The script mentions that one kilogram of seed can produce enough seedlings to plant 20 to 30 hectares of forest.

Highlights

Aubergine provides genetic tree stocks to customers in New Zealand and Australia.

Trees are bred through open and controlled pollination methods.

Challenges include providing planting stock for continuous forest improvement.

Customers have specific needs based on their forest sites and silviculture practices.

The orchard is self-sufficient in controlled pollinated seed.

Controlled pollination allows for customization to meet customer needs.

The orchard serves as the base for the company's varietal program, selecting top genetics.

The orchard's proximity to the sea and a river is critical for flowering and irrigation.

Control pollination involves isolating flowers to prevent external pollen contact.

The breeding program focuses on five key traits for genetic improvement.

New genetics are continuously introduced through ongoing breeding and forest trials.

Varietals are introduced into the seed orchard for the next level of tree improvement.

Trees in the orchard are tested for growth and wood properties before use.

The site covers 14 hectares with 20,000 trees, constantly upgrading genetics.

Grafted root stock and old physiological material ensure vigorous growth.

Trees start producing flowers within two to three years after planting.

Pruning aims to keep trees low and create multiple flowering tips.

Irrigation and foliage sampling ensure optimal tree health and vigor.

Cones are harvested and processed to extract seeds for future planting.

Seed processing includes dehumidifying, cracking, and separating seeds from wings.

Seeds are sorted by size and weight to ensure quality.

Investment in genetics now will impact the quality of forest products in 30 years.

Transcripts

aubergine provides genetic tree stocks

to customers in New Zealand and

Australia the trees are bred through

open and controlled pollination and

nurseries or orchards throughout the

country among the challenges is being

able to provide the planting stock the

customers need to continuously improve

their forests each customer has their

own needs depending on their forest

sight depending on the silviculture of

the forest regime that they're growing

and what their end products are this

orchard produces all the control

pollinated seed for our company so we

are self-sufficient as far as possible

and controlled pollinated seed and they

don't Able's us to then work with our

customers and be able to stock the

orchard with the appearance that this

meets their needs and rather click the

pollen from those orchards they'd also

meet their needs in addition the orchard

provides the base for our varietal

program which is effectively selecting

the best of the best

we're only about a kilometre from the

sea here and so it's a good flowering

site which is critical and it's also

close to a source of irrigation from the

our Tory River and again irrigation is

important to be able to grow good seed

control pollination is about isolating

the flower that's on the tree so no

external pollen can get to that flower

while it's receptive a flower is only

receptive for a short period of time

during July and August and so we put a

bag over the flower isolate the flower

so no pollen can reach to it and then

we're able to introduce pollens that we

require so that means for a controlled

pollinated tree that we know both the

mother and the father there's an ongoing

breeding program in New Zealand there

are new genetics coming through all the

time and so for genetic improvement

there are five traits or characteristics

of the tree that I breed for and they

are growth straightness branching habit

doctor stroma resistance and for wood

density and there are breeding if it's

going on and trials in the forest and

from those trials new parents are coming

out all the time and so as those parents

are then

Joost into the seed orchard and then we

have to remove the lower ranked ones and

and replace them with the better

genetics we also are now introducing our

varietals into the seed orchard so these

are our virgin varietals and they are

bringing in the next level of tree

improvement and to our seedling stock in

the future all these trees have been

tested in the forest so we know how well

they grow in terms of straightness and

other wood properties so we're not

worried about what these trees look like

we want them to do is to produce as many

pine cones as many seeds as possible

this site here is 14 hectares and we

have 20,000 trees wouldn't fully stock

we have 20,000 trees on site here we're

constantly changing upgrading the

genetics depending on what our general

want us to do so at any one stage there

will be trees which we're not

pollinating because their genetics has

been improved and will go through and

and mulch them remove them and then

replant them the following year the

trees that we're growing here are

grafted root stock and the material on

top is quite old physiologically and the

root stock was young which gives them

the vigor to grow it means that the

trees will start producing flowers

within two to three years after we've

planted them these cones here were

pollinated in July last year so these

are about six to seven months old and

these will be harvested at the end of

2017 and on the same tree we've got the

crop here which was pollinated into 2014

and we'll be harvesting these in

December of this year 2016 what we're

doing here in terms of pruning is we're

trying to keep the tree as low as

possible so we can do everything from

the ground you'll see on here this is

last utilized pollination at the top

here and this is the Year befores so

first thing we do is we we make sure we

plead our end o so we don't actually

accidentally cut them off and then what

we're looking to do is create as many

fingers coming up or potential growing

tips for flowering in July of this year

so it's the complete opposite of a

forestry if you like where you want one

straight stem we want as many stems as

we can coming at a height that we can

work it

every tree in the orchard is irrigated

so it's more akin to an orchard as

opposed to a forest we also do foliage

sampling every year to identify nutrient

status and apply fertilizer accordingly

and with our irrigation we monitor we

have source two probes which we monitor

the air the soil moisture status and and

adjust irrigation accordingly so we can

we can fine-tune things and and make

sure that the trees are as healthy and

as vigorous as possible because we are

giving them a bit of a hard time with

the pruning that we do we have us the

cones by Christmas and we bring them

into the shed and we stick them into

crates making sure that we've picked

them so the genetic integrity is still

intact we know where it's come from

and then we leave them in the shed to

air dry and then April May we start cone

processing where we'll put them into a

kiln and dehumidifier them for a few

days until their moisture content is 10

to a level we can correct them and then

we put the cones into a kiln and create

them at at a fairly high temperature for

about eight hours and they crack open so

that's the unopened harvested cone and

once they've been through the cracking

process that the tines open up and you

end up with the seeds in there obviously

we can't do that with every cone so we

have a machine that we put them through

like a concrete mixer where they go in

it spins them and it has slots at the

bottom and the seeds fall out the cones

travel on through into a bin and

disposed of and then the seed goes

through a training process the first

stage is to remove the wings each seed

has a a wing which in nature helps it

fly and disperse so we use a concrete

mix of type machine with a little bit of

water dampness which the wing sticks to

and the seed comes away so that's the

first process is to separate them we

then take it to a sizing machine which

will sort the seed by size and also

remove any twigs or branches or anything

left in it and then finally we ended up

with seed but we have a problem with

dead seed and live seeds so we have an

air blowing machine which sorts the seed

based on its weight and the final

product is that we end up with sieve

like this which is basically a finished

product we backing it up and send it

away to aboriginals to take Oh

quarters and then it sent out to their

nurseries we were sown in the nursery

and twelve months later you have the wee

seedlings which go into the forest so 1

1 kilogram of seed that we produce from

here would produce anywhere from 20 to

30 thousand seeds which is enough to

plant 20 to 30 hectares of forest out on

the hillside so you can see the crops

doing really well here these really

healthy forestry is ticking along at the

moment and I think the future is really

in focusing on genetic improvements so

that the product that does come out of

the forest has a wider range of

applications and because we're looking

at on a 30 year time frame then the

investment that's being made now in

genetics won't be seen for 30 years but

if you don't invest in that those

genetics now then in 30 years time you

may have difficulty selling you a lot of

products or or whatever so it's quite

quite important this program was made

with funding from New Zealand on ear