Mm. Sewell et al., Identification of QTLs influencing wood property traits in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). I. Physical wood properties, THEOR A GEN, 101(8), 2000, pp. 1273-1281
Physical wood property traits for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were analy
zed for the presence of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in a three-generatio
n outbred pedigree. These traits include wood specific gravity (wsg), volum
e percentage of latewood (vol%), and microfibril angle (mfa). Phenotypic da
ta were collected for rings 2-11 for wsg and vol%, and rings 3, 5 and 7 for
mfa. Both earlywood and latewood were analyzed for each trait. An interval
mapping approach designed for an outbred pedigree was used to estimate the
number of QTLs, the magnitude of QTL effects, and their genomic position.
Nine unique QTLs were detected for composite traits (average of all rings)
for wsg, five for vol%, and five for mfa. The majority of these QTLs were v
erified by analyses of individual-ring traits. Additional QTLs for each tra
it were also detected by these individual-ring analyses. Most QTLs for wsg
were specific to either earlywood or latewood, whereas each QTL for mfa was
detected for both earlywood and latewood. Before these QTLs are utilized i
n a breeding program, they should be verified in larger experiments and in
different genetic and environmental backgrounds.