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The importance and type of non-additive genetic effects for growth in Eucalyptus globulus

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Abstract

The paper investigates the importance of additive and non-additive genetic variances for growth in Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian Blue Gum), based on a large collection of diameter growth data covering 40 sites and more than 4,200 genotypes, most of them cloned, and spanning three generations of breeding. The variance estimates were based on a model accounting for additive, full-sib family and clone within full-sib family terms. The results indicated a small amount of additive genetic variance for diameter \( \left( {{{\widehat{h}}^2} = 0.10} \right) \) and although non-additive genetic variance was also small, it accounted for a significant proportion of the total genetic variance present, corresponding to 80% of the additive variance. The interpretation of these non-additive effects is difficult. The results suggest, however, a possible role of epistasis. The evidence for this came from a strong observed bias in additive variance when clone effects were removed from the model and a larger than expected variance due to full-sib families relative to the variance due to clones within family. The relatively large proportion of genetic variance for growth that seems to be due to non-additive genetic effects has obvious implications in the breeding and deployment options in eucalypts, and these are briefly discussed.

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  1. www.raiz-iifp.pt

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. RAIZ Forest and Paper Research Institute, Eixo, Portugal

    José A. Araújo & Gabriel Dehon

  2. BorralhoIdea Consulting, Cartaxo, Portugal

    Nuno M. G. Borralho

  3. Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Nuno M. G. Borralho

  4. Instituto Investigação Cientifica Tropical, Lisbon, Portugal

    Nuno M. G. Borralho

Authors
  1. José A. Araújo
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  2. Nuno M. G. Borralho
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  3. Gabriel Dehon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nuno M. G. Borralho.

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Communicated by R. Burdon

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Araújo, J.A., Borralho, N.M.G. & Dehon, G. The importance and type of non-additive genetic effects for growth in Eucalyptus globulus . Tree Genetics & Genomes 8, 327–337 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-011-0443-x

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