Heritability and intertrait correlations in breeding subpopulations of jack pine

Abstract

Twenty breeding populations of jack pine were established in 1979 and 1980 in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Four populations were index populations and were each established at 4 locations by research cooperators. Sixteen populations were applied breeding populations and were established at single locations by public and private cooperators. Combined analysis of height at age 5 in index populations at three locations indicated little genotype x environment interaction and heritability of 0.19. Separate analysis of index populations indicated that the amount of genotype x environment interaction varied in relation to main effect family variance but was never more than 50 percent of the family variance. Heritability estimates for height at age 3 in 13 surviving breeding populations varied from 0 to 0.57. Population related differences in heritability may have been due to sampling variation, environmental differences, or both. The data suggested a need for remeasurement of the 13 surviving breeding populations which are currently 6 years old. Heritability in most populations is sufficient to recommend that selection and breeding to produce the second generation be initiated now. Selection of parents at age 5 or 6 has previously been shown to be effective in many species of Pinaceae.

Citation

Riemenschneider, Don E. 1985. Heritability and intertrait correlations in breeding subpopulations of jack pine. In: Guries, R.P., ed. Proceedings of the Fourth North Central Tree Improvement Conference. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison: 12-22