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Forests
Special Issues
Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations
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Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 7006

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kyu Suk Kang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Bioresources, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: forest genetics; tree breeding; tree genomics; seed orchard genetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Nebi Bilir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Forestry Faculty, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Isparta, Turkey
Interests: tree breeding; seed orchards; seed stands; quantitative genetics
Dr. Eduardo Pablo Cappa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Recursos Biológicos, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, Argentina
Interests: forest tree breeding; quantitative genetics; genomic selection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic gain is the improvement in average phenotypic or genetic value due to selection in a forest population over cycles of tree breeding. It can be improved through a shortened cycle period by integrated breeding strategies, meaning the level of increase in the performance achieved annually by artificial selection. Gene diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changed environments. Seed orchards are a tree improvement delivery system between tree breeding and forest regeneration and are leading suppliers of genetically improved seeds worldwide. The genetic gain of seed orchards is increasing along with the advancement of tree-breeding cycles and the uptake of a lot of accumulated knowledge is available as a result. Advancements in genomics have offered an insight into how DNA information controls all forest tree species’ biological functions and how it has the potential to accelerate the breeding cycle. The management of seed orchards should be fine-tuned accordingly to maximize genetic progress, while maintaining a sufficient adaptive diversity in forest stands, and to improve climate resilience. The tree improvement delivery system encompasses all aspects of tree breeding, starting with phenotypic selection and ending with the production of genetically improved seeds and seedlings. Additionally, this process is paramount in determining the genetic gain and gene diversity trade-off to ensure that the maximum genetic gain and gene diversity in future forests are attained. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of research and practice information on the progress of tree breeding and its improvement. Therefore, we encourage papers to maximize genetic progress while maintaining a sufficient adaptive diversity in forest populations.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Breeding strategy;
  • Genetic gain estimation;
  • Genetics of seed orchards;
  • Pollen contamination, flowering and fertility variation;
  • Physiology and technology of seeds and seedlings;
  • Vegetative propagation techniques, including somatic embryogenesis;
  • Forest population genetics and tree genomics.

Prof. Dr. Kyu Suk Kang
Prof. Dr. Nebi Bilir
Dr. Eduardo Pablo Cappa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetic gain
  • gene diversity
  • tree breeding
  • genomics
  • fertility variation
  • background pollination
  • seed testing, mass propagation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4272 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity, Mating System, and Seed Viability Reveal a Trade-Off between Outcrossing and Inbreeding in Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia, an Ecologically Important Conifer Species Growing in a Hot-Dry River Basin Habitat in Southwest China
by Xian-Qin Li, Yu-Zhuo Wen, Chun-Hui Huang, Meng-Yun Tang, Wei-Xin Jiang and Tian-Dao Bai
Forests 2024, 15(6), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060982 - 4 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1342
Abstract
Revealing the relationship between the mating system (i.e., the outcrossing/inbreeding degree) and the fitness of seeds in tree species under wild conditions is essential for understanding the ecological adaptability and evolutionary stability of the species. This study collected open-pollinated seeds from seven wild [...] Read more.
Revealing the relationship between the mating system (i.e., the outcrossing/inbreeding degree) and the fitness of seeds in tree species under wild conditions is essential for understanding the ecological adaptability and evolutionary stability of the species. This study collected open-pollinated seeds from seven wild populations of Pinus yunnanensis var. tenuifolia that exhibited fragmentation in the Nanpan–Hongshui River basin, an ecologically fragile area in China. The seeds and sprouts (germinated seeds) from 20 families were genotyped (24 seeds and 24 sprouts per family) using twelve microsatellite loci to reveal the genetic diversity, mating status, and effect of inbreeding on the three seed quality indicators (thousand-seed weight, germination rate, and germination potential). The three seed quality indicators differed significantly between families (p < 0.001). Higher values of genetic diversity (except the observed heterozygosity) were observed in the sprout group than those in the seed group. Families from different populations showed a notable genetic differentiation (Φst = 0.12), and a large part of families from the common populations had a high degree of coancestry, which signified that the current habitat fragmentation is limiting gene flow between populations. High levels of outcrossing rates (tm) were observed in both the seed group (tm = 0.974) and the sprout group (tm = 0.978), indicating that a low proportion of seeds were self-fertilized. Although there was a slightly higher single outcrossing rate (ts = 0.888) and a lower proportion of biparental inbreeding (tm − ts = 0.077) in sprouts compared to the seeds (ts = 0.871, tm − ts = 0.091), indicating that a part of inbred seeds were purged during the germination stage, curve fitting between the outcrossing rate and seed quality indicators showed that a certain degree of biparental inbreeding (ts between 0.89 and 0.91 and tm − ts between 0.09 and 0.11) did have a positive effect on seed germination ability. This highlights that excessive inbreeding or outbreeding seems to be unfavorable to seed viability. The peculiar relationship between seed viability and the mating system in P. yunnanensis var. tenuifolia was likely an evolutionary consequence of a trade-off between the nature of mixed mating and its specific ecological niche. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations)
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17 pages, 2403 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Breeding Potential and Genetic Conservation: A Comprehensive Approach to Plus-Tree Selection for Tilia amurensis Improvement
by Kyungmi Lee, In-Sik Kim and Wan-Yong Choi
Forests 2023, 14(10), 1972; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14101972 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
The timber degradation and overexploitation of Tilia amurensis necessitate strategic genetic resource management. This study presents a comprehensive approach to plus-tree selection, focusing on growth evaluation. Drawing from the procedures developed for evergreen oak, it encompasses base population selection, criteria establishment, forest stand [...] Read more.
The timber degradation and overexploitation of Tilia amurensis necessitate strategic genetic resource management. This study presents a comprehensive approach to plus-tree selection, focusing on growth evaluation. Drawing from the procedures developed for evergreen oak, it encompasses base population selection, criteria establishment, forest stand investigation, standardized measurements, and tree selection. This study advances the baseline selection methods by emphasizing growth differentiation through age and environmental adjustments. A total of 62 superior individuals were selected from 176 candidates across 20 populations, effectively expanding the geographical boundaries. This growth-centric improved approach offers practical insights for selective breeding and genetic conservation, and addresses the ecological characteristics of the species. This study underscores the need for further exploration of genetic differentiation and biological traits to provide a foundation for refining T. amurensis tree improvement programs. In a broader context, these findings contribute to the understanding and sustainable management of diverse broadleaf forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations)
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12 pages, 3507 KiB  
Article
Impact of Crown Closure on Cone Production and Effective Number of Parents in Natural Stands of Taurus Cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.)
by Nilufer Yazici and Nebi Bilir
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061130 - 30 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1465
Abstract
This study was carried out to estimate the effect of crown closure classes (degraded forest, low crown coverage, medium crown coverage, and full crown coverage) and growth characteristics (three heights, diameter at base, diameter at breast height, and crown diameter) on cone production [...] Read more.
This study was carried out to estimate the effect of crown closure classes (degraded forest, low crown coverage, medium crown coverage, and full crown coverage) and growth characteristics (three heights, diameter at base, diameter at breast height, and crown diameter) on cone production and to estimate fertility variation and its allied parameters in 130-year-old natural populations of Taurus cedar, also called cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani A. Rich.). The effect of biotic (e.g., growth characteristics, crown closure) and abiotic (e.g., light penetration, temperature, humidity, and soil characteristics) factors on cone production, fertility variation, and gene diversity was evaluated in two consecutive years of Taurus cedar. The factors, viz., altitude, temperature, aspect, and rainfall, varied, while some of them could be managed by cultural operations such as management of the crown and stand density. The impact of crown closure on cone production, fertility variation, and related parameters were observed in Taurus cedar’s natural populations sampled from southern Turkey. Maximum cone productions of 29 and 40/tree were recorded with full crown closure in two consecutive years, due to significant differences among individuals within crown closure class. For instance, cone productions were between 10 and 67 in the full crown closure of the first year. The sibling coefficient, which is a measure of the fertility variation in a stand, was the highest (1.16) for the full crown closure in the first (meaning 86% fertile trees) and the second years (1.55, 65%), while it was the lowest for the medium crown closure (1.09, 92%) in both years. Gene diversity decreased from a degraded patch (0.987) to that with full crown closure (0.984). Results of variance analysis showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) difference between crown closure classes for cone production within the second year and between years. Significant positive (p ≤ 0.05) correlations were noted between years for cone production (r = 0.22) and between cone production and crown closure in the first and second years (r = 0.29). However, growth characteristics had no effect on cone productions in individual crown closure classes, while there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) correlations between the diameter at breast height and cone production for both years (r = 0.15 and 0.17) in pooled populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations)
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Review

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14 pages, 3626 KiB  
Review
Fertility Variation and Gene Diversity in Forest Populations
by Kyu-Suk Kang, Nebi Bilir, Koeun Jeon and Ye-Ji Kim
Forests 2023, 14(11), 2172; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112172 - 31 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1498
Abstract
Fertility variation, defined as a difference in the ability to create progeny (i.e., reproductive success) among individuals, was reviewed using the related available theoretical and practical literature in an attempt to contribute to and improve future studies on the subject. Fertility variation is [...] Read more.
Fertility variation, defined as a difference in the ability to create progeny (i.e., reproductive success) among individuals, was reviewed using the related available theoretical and practical literature in an attempt to contribute to and improve future studies on the subject. Fertility variation is a useful guide for various purposes such as gene conservation, seed production programs, forest genetic resource (i.e., seed sources) management, other forestry practices (e.g., regeneration), and evolutional and physiological studies. Many papers and proceedings have been published, including both theoretical and practical approaches, on how fertility variation has improved in the last two decades. Large variations in fertility were widely reported among populations within species and among species. We reviewed the literature and combined our diverse knowledge to examine fertility variations and their linkage parameters. Fertility variations and their related parameters (e.g., gene diversity, status number, effective parent number, parental–balance curves) estimated based on reproductive characteristics have been studied for many years using easy and cheap surveys that are used for different purposes in forest sciences. Their importance is increasing and their use is becoming more widespread because of these advantages, leading to improvements in research papers. While many research papers have recently been published on fertility variations and linkage parameters, a review paper has not been published to date. Therefore, a review paper is needed based on a literature survey and unpublished experience, as a guide for future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Gain, Gene Diversity and Fertility Variation in Forest Populations)
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