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Identification of quantitative trait loci for wood quality and growth across eight full-sib coastal Douglas-fir families

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Abstract

Typical linkage and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses in forest trees have been conducted in single pedigrees with sex-averaged linkage maps. The results of a QTL analysis for wood quality and growth traits of coastal Douglas-fir using eight full-sib families, each consisting of 40 progeny, replicated on four sites are presented. The resulting map of segregating genetic markers consisted of 120 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) loci distributed across 19 linkage groups. The wood quality traits represent the widest suite of traits yet examined for QTL analysis in a tree species in a single study. Wood fiber traits showed the lowest number of QTLs (3) with relatively small effect (ca. 4%); wood density traits also showed just three QTLs but with slightly larger effect; wood chemistry traits showed more QTLs (7), while ring density traits showed many QTLs with large numbers of QTLs (78) and interesting patterns of temporal variation. Growth traits gave just five QTLs but of major effect (10–16%). Trees, with their long generation times, provide a rich resource for studies of temporal variation of QTL expression.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge funding (to SDM) from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Value-to-Wood Program for this project. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Alvin Yanchuk and Michael Stoehr of the BC Ministry of Forests for access to the Douglas-fir breeding trials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, 4030-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Nicholas K. Ukrainetz & Shawn D. Mansfield

  2. Department of Forest Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Kermit Ritland

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  1. Nicholas K. Ukrainetz
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  2. Kermit Ritland
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  3. Shawn D. Mansfield
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Correspondence to Shawn D. Mansfield.

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Communicated by R. Johnson

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Ukrainetz, N.K., Ritland, K. & Mansfield, S.D. Identification of quantitative trait loci for wood quality and growth across eight full-sib coastal Douglas-fir families. Tree Genetics & Genomes 4, 159–170 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0097-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0097-x

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