Estimation of Genetic Parameters and Wood Yield Selection Index in a Clonal Trial of Korean Pine (Pinus koraiensis) in Northeastern China

Abstract

In order to determine suitable traits for selecting high-wood-yield Korean pine materials, eleven morphological characteristics (tree height, basal diameter, diameter at breast height, diameter at 3 meter height, stem straightness degree, crown breadth, crown height, branch angle, branch number per node, bark thickness, and stem volume) were investigated in a 38-year-old Korean pine clonal trial at Naozhi orchard. A statistical approach combining variance and regression analysis was used to extract appropriate traits for selecting elite clones. Results of variance analysis showed significant difference in variance sources in most of the traits, except for the stem straightness degree, which had a p-value of 0.94. Moderate to high coefficients of variation and clonal repeatability ranged from 10.73% to 35.45% and from 0.06% to 0.78%, respectively. Strong significant correlations on the phenotypic and genotypic levels were observed between the straightness traits and tree volume, but crown breadth was weakly correlated to the volume. Four principal components retaining up to 80% of the total variation were extracted, and stem volume, basal diameter, diameter at breast height, diameter at 3 meter height, tree height, and crown height displayed high correlation to these components (r ranged from 0.76 to 0.98). Based on the Type III sum of squares, tree height, diameter at breast height, and branch number showed significant information to explain the clonal variability based on stem volume. Using the extracted characteristics as the selection index, six clones (PK105, PK59, PK104, PK36, PK28, and K101) displayed the highest Qi values, with a selection rate of 5% corresponding to the genetic gain of 42.96% in stem volume. This study provides beneficial information for the selection of multiple traits for genetically improved genotypes of Korean pine.

Phenotypic Variation Analysis and Excellent Clone Selection of Alnus cremastogyne from Different Provenances

“…In this study, the cumulative contribution rate of the three principal components for A. cremastogyne was 79.18%, which is comparable to oak [ 75 ], while it is higher than willow [ 76 ] and Carthamus tinctorius [ 77 ]. The high cumulative variation in PCA can be attributed to the strong multicollinearity between traits and their significant correlations [ 78 ]. Specifically, PCA1 was primarily associated with growth, cone, and seed traits, PCA2 was associated with seed germination traits, and PCA3 was associated with cone seed traits.…”

Genetic Parameters and Genotype–Environment Interactions in Paulownia Clonal Tests in Temperate and Subtropical Regions of China

“…Site characteristics affect the performance of different genotypes through the combined effects of the soil and local climate [39]. Analysis of variance is an effective technique to evaluate the magnitude of differences among clones, and variation among populations is the basis for clonal breeding [40]. The coefficient of variation reflects the variability in each population and determines the selection space that is used to decide which clones to choose for breeding purposes [41].…”

Forest Resources Management: An Editorial

“…Considering these topics, this Special Issue received several submissions and published seven papers, five articles and two reviews. The articles focused on the following issues: forest resources in Northern Pakistan, assessing perspectives on forest management techniques and sustainability [1]; importance of forest products to rural contexts in South Africa, analyzing the contributions of natural products to households [2]; parameters of Korean Pine in Northeastern China to select high-yield wood materials [3]; assessment of the impacts of forest fires on vegetation recovery using new technologies [4]; and forest management and sustainability in the European Union [5]. The reviews highlighted the ecological dimensions of the forest to assess the evolution of vegetation [6] and agri-food frameworks in Mediterranean geographies [7].…”