AUTHOR=Ding Xianyin , Li Yanjie , Zhang Yini , Diao Shu , Luan Qifu , Jiang Jingmin 

TITLE=Genetic analysis and elite tree selection of the main resin components of slash pine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1079952

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1079952

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Pine resin, as a natural material, has been widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm var. elliottii) is the primary tree species for resin tapping due to its high resin yield, low resin crystallization rate, and high turpentine content. Current research focuses on the targeted improvement of several significant components to meet industrial needs rather than just resin yield. The objective of this study was to examine the genetic variation and correlation of genetic and phenotype for four main resin components (α pinene, β pinene, abietic acid, and levoprimaric acid) of 219 half-sib progenies from 59 families. The results showed that the levopimaric acid content was the largest (mean = 21.63%), while the β pinene content had the largest variation (CV = 0.42). The α pinene content has the highest heritability (h2 = 0.67), while levopimaric acid has the lowest heritability (h2 = 0.51). There was a significant negative correlation between α pinene and the other three components and a significant positive correlation between β pinene and the two diterpenes. The family ranking and genetic gain suggested that genetic breeding selection could improve the resin components of slash pine.