Combining genetic gain and diversity under an individual selection method in a selected provenance of Eucalyptus cladocalyx

F. Mora, and J. Saavedra. 2012. Combining genetic gain and diversity under an individual selection method in a selected provenance of Eucalyptus cladocalyx. Cien. Inv. Agr. 39(1): 177-184. Flowering traits are becoming important breeding objectives in Encalytus cladocalyx. Previous studies have confirmed that the trees from Cowell, Australia, respond well for early flowering under the a arid conditions in the Southern Atacama Desert, Chile. This selected population was evaluated for flowering intensity at the end of the flowering season of 2009/2010 (February 2010). A Bayesian threshold tree model via Gibbs sampling was used in the data analyses. The model included the genotype-environment interaction (two sites) using a bi-character threshold model. The posterior mean of the genetic correlation between the sites was positive and high (r=0.8) and, according to the 95% credible interval (0.44-0.96), it was significantly different from zero, indicating a non-significant interaction. The intensity of selection should be close to 11% to balance the gain and diversity after the individual tree selection in this breeding population.