Genetic parameters and gains for growth and wood properties in Florida source loblolly pine in the southeastern United States

One hundred and thirteen open-pollinated families from Florida source loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were tested in four states in the southeastern United States. Heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated for volume, specific gravity, and latewood percentage at three different growth stages: juvenile (ages 0–10 years), mature (11–17 years), and total (0–17 years). Heritabilities of growth traits (0.09–0.11) were consistently lower than for wood property traits (0.16–0.33). Growth traits for Florida loblolly exhibited high genotype × environment interaction (rB = 0.44), whereas wood properties did not (rB = 0.90). The higher heritabilities and genetic stability across environments make wood properties amenable to genetic manipulation through breeding programs. In contrast, the high genotype × environment interaction of growth traits for Florida loblolly pine requires more research to understand the possible implication of these effects on breeding programs. Trait–trait and age–age genetic corr...