Joint influence of genetic origin and climate on the growth of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) in China

Zhen Zhang,Zhongping Feng,Guoqing Jin,Zhichun Zhou,Yi Zheng,Linshan Sun,Chengzhi Yuan

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61597-9

Zhen Zhang, Zhongping Feng + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61597-9

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Abstract

Adaptive of trees and its correlation with the climatic are causing changes in tree species performance and distribution, which will change breeding programs and influence forest productivity. To further evaluate the joint influence of climatic factors and provenance on the ring width (RW) and ring density (RD) of Masson pine. We selected 18 provenances at Chun’an (CA) and Taizi Mountain (TZS) test site, which representing four different breeding regions, including the south, west, north and east-central regions. The results showed that the provenance effects were significantly for the RW and RD. The provenances from high temperature and low latitude regions had greater mean RW compared to species from local and cold sources. The geographical genetic variation in wood traits is generally weak. The correlation between RW of Masson pine and precipitation was stronger in the relatively arid TZS site compared with that in relatively wet CA site, as well as the effect of temperature and precipitation on RD was earlier than that in CA test site. The response relationship between establishing the width of tree rings and the environmental variables of provenance indicated that during the transition from the northern and western breeding regions to the eastern and southern breeding regions, the response of RW to climate factors changed from being temperature-based to being precipitation-based. In addition, the response of provenance to the climate of seed sources origin showed their own variation characteristics in each breeding area. Therefore, genetic improvement of big diameter wood and wood density can be gain through selection of provenance and analysis of adaptability.

Highlights

Diameter growth and wood density are important selection traits for sawn timber and pulpwood, respectively, which have been part of the long-term breeding program of conifer species[1,2]
The genetic improvement work of Masson pine have been implemented since the 1970s in China, which is focus on survival, rapid growth, resin production, stem form and wood quality
The mean annual ring width (RW) of the southern regions provenances was higher than that in the other production regions, the relative differences in the RW production interval varied with age, and these differences formed in the early stages of growth (Fig. 2)

Summary

Introduction

Diameter growth and wood density are important selection traits for sawn timber and pulpwood, respectively, which have been part of the long-term breeding program of conifer species[1,2]. The research showed that trees could adapt to the rapid environmental changes through genetic selection and showed different responses to environmental changes in radial growth and wood density[3,4,5]. The different tissues cells of wood change at different growing season, affect the ring width (RW hereafter) and ring density (RD hereafter) parameters and involve fast and slow of growth processes[8]. The mean temperature from January to May significantly affected the growth in the Yangming Mountain area, Hunan Province, China, and precipitation during the previous growing season had a lagged effect on the RW of Masson pine was reported in 2017 by Jiang et al.[20]. The objectives were: (1) analyze the RW and RD among provenances at different testing sites; (2) test the effects of provenances and climate on RW and RD; and (3) assess the influence of climate change on the adaptive of Masson pine in China

Methods

Results

Conclusion