The development of improved willow clones for eastern North America

Efforts aimed at genetic improvement of Salix are increasing in North Ameri ca. Most of these are directed towards developing improved clones for bioma ss production, phytoremediation, nutrient filters, and stream bank stabiliz ation in the Northeast and North-central United States. Native species are of primary interest, but a small number of clones containing non-native ger mplasm are also being used in the breeding program to provide valuable trai ts. Parent combinations for controlled crosses are being selected with the hope of maximizing the probability of producing clones exhibiting heterosis for traits of interest, such as rapid early growth, pest resistance, gener al adaptability, etc. The present strategy is to test as many parent clone combinations as possible, and then repeat the most promising crosses to pro duce large families from which the best clones will be selected for further testing. Molecular fingerprinting technology will be applied to accelerate the rate of improvement. National and international cooperation would faci litate regional clone development and promotion of willow as a bioenergy cr op.