A diallel cross in black spruce

Abstract

A complete 7 × 7 diallel of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), without selfs, planted in three locations, was measured for height growth at several ages. Analysis using Griffing's method 3, model II, demonstrated that general combining ability (GCA) was the dominant genetic component of variation, although specific combining ability (SCA) appeared to be proportionately increasing in importance with age. When data from all locations were combined, the GCA × environment interaction proved to be highly significant. If the trend of increasing proportional importance of SCA continues, existing improvement strategies exploiting only GCA may need to be radically altered. Greater genetic gain would result from crosses among a few clones of high specific combining ability. Whatever approach is used, it appears likely that genotypes will have to be carefully matched to sites. Imbalance in the data set appeared to invalidate F-tests. As a result of heterozygosity in the parents and the likely presence of epistasis and linkage disequilibrium, the interpretation of GCA and SCA variance components in terms of additive and dominance genetic variance cannot be made. Key words: diallel cross, combining ability, black spruce, forest genetics.