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Partitioning of genetic variance and selection efficiency for alternative vegetative deployment strategies for white spruce in Eastern Canada

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Abstract

Genetic variances and selection efficiencies for growth traits of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) were estimated from clonally replicated full-sib progeny tests established both in nursery and field environments in New Brunswick, Canada. The available data included heights at 4, 5, and 6 years in the nursery test; height at 9 years, height, DBH, and volume at 14 years in the field test. Estimated variance components were interpreted according to an additive-dominance-epistasis model. For heights in the nursery test, while both non-additive and additive variances were important sources of genetic variation, the former decreased but the latter increased with age; among the non-additive genetic variance, the epistatic variance was much more important than the dominance variance. Different from the nursery traits, for traits in the field test, additive variance accounted for an average of 81% of the total genetic variance, whereas dominance variance explained most of the remaining genetic variance. Genetic parameters and selection efficiencies for three vegetative deployment strategies: deploying half-sib families (VD_FAMHS), full-sib families (VD_FAMFS), and multi-varietal forestry (MVF), were compared. Heritability estimates were moderate for VD_FAMHS and VD_FAMFS (0.61–0.72), high for MVF (>0.82) for the nursery heights, and high (>0.79) for the field traits for all strategies. Genetic correlations of volume at age 14 in the field test, the target trait for improvement, were strong (>0.85) with other field traits. Genetic correlations of VOL14 with the nursery heights were also strong (>0.71) at the half-sib and full-sib family levels, but were only moderate (>0.59) for MVF. Overall, practicing MVF is the most effective deployment strategy, yielding the highest genetic gains, followed by VD_FAMFS and VD_FAMHS, regardless of traits and selection methods. Furthermore, early selections for HT9 or for HT4–HT6 were very encouraging, resulting in higher gain in volume at age 14 on a per year basis.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dale Simpson and John Major for valuable comments on an earlier version of the manuscript and Caroline Simpson for editing. We would like to express our appreciation to Ian MacEacheron, CFS, and New Brunswick DNR tree improvement technicians Craig Carr, Mark Mazerolle, Kirk Beers, Roberto Florean, and Dan Phillips for the help in data collection. Thanks also went to Dr. Luis Apioloza for his help in running ASREML program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Kingsclear Forest Nursery, Island View, NB, Canada, E3E 1G3

    Y. H. Weng & K. J. Tosh

  2. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service—Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, P.O. Box 4000, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 5P7

    Y. S. Park

  3. Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 44555, 28 Dineen Drive, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 6C2

    Y. H. Weng & M. J. Krasowski

  4. J.D. Irving Limited, Sussex Tree Nursery, RR 4 Aiton Road, Sussex, NB, Canada, E0E 1P0

    G. Adams

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  1. Y. H. Weng
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  2. Y. S. Park
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  4. K. J. Tosh
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  5. G. Adams
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Correspondence to Y. H. Weng.

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Communicated by S. Aitken

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Weng, Y.H., Park, Y.S., Krasowski, M.J. et al. Partitioning of genetic variance and selection efficiency for alternative vegetative deployment strategies for white spruce in Eastern Canada. Tree Genetics & Genomes 4, 809–819 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-008-0154-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-008-0154-0

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