Genotype-Environment Interactions in Progeny Test of Black Cherry Plus Trees

Height growth variation in four progeny test plantings, containing fifty open-pollinated black cherry families, was studied after the fifth and tenth growing seasons. The magnitude of the family variance components differed among sites, and in one instance increased with age. Age-age correlations based on family mean heights were high and similar at each site, Families from Pennsylvania generally were taller than those from West Virginia, but the regional difference was not always significant. Genotype-environment interactions were nonsignificant at age five, but significant after the tenth growing season. Using a linear regression model, the performance of each family was studied over the range of planting sites, From the analysis, estimates of phenotypic stability were calculated for each family, and they are discussed in terms of selection strategies. Substantial variation was found among families in mean height and stability parameters, which could be exploited by selection in progeny tests to increase genetic gains on contrasting sites.

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Author(s): Brian J. Stanton, Henry D. Gerhold, Donald E. Dorn

Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Northeastern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 1982

Section: Session 3