Abstract

Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) is the most commercially important conifer in China, and the Nanjing Forestry University - Fujian Province Chinese fir Cooperation (NJFU - Fujian Cooperation) breeding program has advanced it into the third cycle of selection and breeding. In this paper, we estimated genetic parameters from four sites for 80 half-sib families and summarized previous estimates of genetic parameters in Chinese fir with an objective to propose optimal breeding strategy. Heritability averaged 0.20 and 0.14 for height and diameter at breast height (DBH), respectively, for the four sites. A significant genotype-environment interaction (G x E) for growth was also observed among the four sites, with the greatest interactions between a marginal site and the three central sites in the Fujian Province Chinese fir plantation region. The average estimated type-B genetic correlation between the marginal site and the three central sites was 0.08 for height and -0.09 for DBH. However, the highly productive families were among the most stable across the four sites. The results from this study in combination with summarized genetic parameters from literature were used to discuss and propose an optimal breeding strategy for the third generation of the breeding program for Chinese firs in Fujian Province.

Keywords

Chinese fir; heritability; genetic correlation; genotype-environment interaction; breeding strategy

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2014, Volume: 44, number: 6, pages: 582-592
Publisher: CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING, NRC RESEARCH PRESS

SLU Authors

• Wu, Harry

  • Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2013-0427

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/67172