Provenance and family variability in slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) grown in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina

Abstract

A total of 172 seed orchard open-pollinated families of slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.), generallysuperior for growth in the southeastern United States, wereevaluated in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. Mostfamilies were from selections originally made in four majorphysiographic regions within the species' natural distribution:Atlantic Coastal Flatwoods, East-Central Florida Flatwoods, GulfCoastal Flatwoods, and Southern Coastal Plain (withoutflatwoods). Ninety-one families were established in 1982 inthree tests in the Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Parana. In 1986, 119 families, including 35 common to the Braziliantests, were planted in four tests in Corrientes and Misionesstates in Argentina. Variation among provenances for individualvolume growth was significant for both countries withEast-Central Florida Flatwoods consistently having the highestmean age-eight year volume and Southern Coastal Plainconsistently the lowest. Heritabilities were 0.20 in Argentinaand 0.44 in Brazil with within country type B geneticcorrelations of 0.66 and 1.00 for age-eight individual volume,respectively. The between country type B genetic correlation was0.63. Type B genetic correlations between United States breedingvalues for age-fifteen volume and Argentinian and Brazilianbreeding values for age-eight volume were 0.10 and 0.15,respectively. Families were generally superior to local checksin both South American countries.