Progeny Selection and Genetic Diversity in a Pinus taeda Clonal Seed Orchard

The present article describes the development of an improved Pinus taeda clonal seed orchard adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of Uruguay. Initially, 2068 hectares distributed in nine companies were prospected, and 124 plus trees were identified based on growth, straightness, and health traits. These trees were clonally propagated via grafting to establish a clonal seed orchard. For the genetic evaluation of the orchard, two progeny tests were carried out in the Rivera and Paysandú municipalities. Quantitative genetic analyses allowed us to identify a simple genotype–environment interaction and an expected genetic gain for volumes of 17%, 13%, and 8% for selection intensities of 12%, 25%, and 50%, respectively. Moreover, the genetic diversity of the 124 clones of the orchard was assessed using 10 microsatellite markers. The fingerprinting profiles allowed us to identify a total of 224 alleles. The polymorphism information content of the different markers was in the range of 0.594 to 0.895. The combined probability of identity and probability of identity among siblings had a discrimination power of 8.26 × 10–14 and 5.91 × 10–5, respectively. Analysis of the genetic structure demonstrated that the seed orchard population was not structured by the supplier.