2.2 Field Site Descriptions
Clonal cuttings of the 52-124 progeny were obtained from the University
of Minnesota and the University of Florida. The individuals were
propagated in the West Virginia University (WVU) greenhouses in March
2006. A hay production field was tilled and disked at the WVU Agronomy
farm (39°39′32″N 79°54′19″W) in Morgantown, West Virginia for planting.
In July 2007 the rooted cuttings were planted with two clonal replicates
for each of 749 genotypes at 2 m x 2 m spacing in an interlocking block
design. The plantation was thinned in December of 2008 by removing 50%
of the trees in a diamond fashion resulting in 2.83 m x 4 m spacing of
the remaining trees. A plantation of the same family cross was
established at the Westport Research Station in the Columbia River
floodplain (46°07’58.8”N 123°22’05.0”W) in April, 2016. The trial was
planted with a total of 339 progeny replicated in a randomized complete
block design with three blocks.