Improvements in Stem Form and Growth of Elite Genotypes in Loblolly Pine
While previous research showed that volume was the most important trait for economic return, there is increased interest in capitalizing on genotypes with desirable form for sawtimber production. The Lower Gulf Elite Population, a joint breeding effort among 3 cooperative breeding programs in the southeastern United States, provides a unique opportunity to assess the potential stem form improvement of elite loblolly pine selections. Forty-eight parents from three cooperative breeding programs were bred in a series of six 8-tree disconnected diallels, comprised of selections from the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Florida, and Livingston Parrish provenances. Previous results from a complementary polymix test series of the same parents demonstrated 6-year volume gains exceeding 40% over local checks. An analysis of six year growth, disease, and stem form traits will be presented.
Download this file:
Download this file — PDF document, 243KbDetails
Author(s): W. Patrick Cumbie, Steven E. McKeand, Jesus Espinoza, Fikret Isik, James E. Grissom
Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 2007