Inheritance of Spiral Grain in Young Loblolly Pine

A study of spiral grain on material from 52 control-pollinated families of four-year-old loblolly pine indicated that genetic variation in this trait is of the nonadditive type. This study involving 1043 trees suggests that mass selection to reduce spiral grain will not be very effective in loblolly pine if the pattern for older trees is similar to the young trees studied. The trees were only four years of age but spirality was measured in that portion of the tree where it often attains maximum values. Only rarely was a tree found with spirality bad enough to cause serious degrade in sawn or veneer products. The study raises some question whether spiral grain in loblolly pine is either widespread or serious. The reference or datum from which degree of spirality is determined is important; since spiral- ity was measured as deviation from pith, results must be interpreted in this light.

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Author(s): Bruce J. Zobel, Roy W. Stonecypher, Cicely Browne

Publication: Tree Improvement and Genetics - Southern Forest Tree Improvement Conference - 1967