Selecting for stable and productive families of Eucalyptus urophylla across a country-wide range of climates in Brazil

Author(s)

Mueller da Silva, Paulo Henrique ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Brune, Arno ^[4] ; Alvares, Clayton Alcarde ^[1] ; do Amaral, Weber ^[2] ; Teixeira de Moraes, Mario Luiz ^[5] ; Grattapaglia, Dario ^{[6, 7]} ; de Paula, Rinaldo Cesar ^[8]

Affiliation

^[1] IPEF, Via Comendador Pedro Morganti 3500, BR-13415000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Ave Padua Dias 11, Caixa Postal 9, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ Unesp, Sch Agr, Rua Jose Barbosa de Barros 1780, CP 237, BR-18603970 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] APSD Ghana, Plot 27, Block 27, Kumasi - Ghana

^[5] Sao Paulo State Univ Unesp, Sch Engn, Ave Brasil Ctr 56, CP 31, BR-15385000 Ilha Solteira, SP - Brazil

^[6] EMBRAPA Genet Resources & Biotechnol, Plant Genet Lab, BR-70770970 Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[7] Univ Catolica Brasilia, Grad Program Genom Sci & Biotechnol, SGAN Qd 916, BR-70790160 Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[8] Sao Paulo State Univ Unesp, Sch Agr & Vet Sci, Via Acesso Prof Paulo Donato Castellane, Km 5, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH-REVUE CANADIENNE DE RECHERCHE FORESTIER; v. 49, n. 1, p. 87-95, JAN 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

To identify stable and productive Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake families across diverse climate zones in Brazil, we evaluated growth and survival of 322 open-pollinated families derived from 13 genetically improved seed sources in 10 trials across the country. Survival and growth data were analyzed using linear mixed models and REML/BLUP. Survival ranged from 51% to 92%, and the mean annual increment varied from 19 to 46 m(3).ha(-1).year(-1). Although planted in suitable climatic zones, some trials had low survival and (or) productivity. Conversely, the highest productivity was recorded in a zone considered to be of low suitability. These results show the importance of assessing the climatic requirements of eucalypts beyond those determined from analyses of their natural distribution, especially when testing already improved seed sources. A number of productive and stable families were identified based on analysis of the interaction between genotype and environment, and from these, 144 individuals were selected and had their genetic diversity estimated using 19 microsatellite DNA markers. The genetic diversity of these selected trees was equivalent to that observed in previous studies of natural populations of E. urophylla, indicating that breeding programs of E. urophylla in Brazil still retain high levels of diversity for sustainable genetic gains. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/15651-2 - Molecular markers to build a new generation of Eucalyptus urophylla breeding population.
• Grantee: Paulo Henrique Muller da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants