The growth rate and genetic variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) half-sibs in test crops of Northern Kazakhstan

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a valuable tree species, playing an important role in maintaining the ecological and economic balance not only in Kazakhstan, but also in many countries around the world. The purpose of this study was to assess the growth rate and to identify the genotypes of the half-sib progeny of Scotch pine plus trees in order to further obtain high-quality seeds with valuable genetic traits. A molecular genetic analysis was carried out using six microsatellite and 20 isoenzyme loci on 15 Scots pine half-sib families, represented by two samples of seeds collected in the subsequent harvesting periods (planted in 1986 and 1987), that evaluated the taxonomic characteristics such as tree height and trunk diameter (DBH, measured at 1.3 meters). Families with the highest growth rate in both samples were selected as candidates for the elite group. During the SSR analysis, a decrease in the level of expected heterozygosity (0.2377-0.5362 with an average value of 0.4593) was observed in P. sylvestris L. half-sibs compared to the sample of maternal plus trees (0.5444), with similar results to that of the “founder effect”. At the same time, the level of observed heterozygosity remained sufficiently high (0.3333-0.7037 with an average value of 0.4980 and 0.4556, respectively). During the isoenzyme analysis, the level of genetic variability either decreased or was similar to that of the maternal trees. Rare and unique alleles were found in seed samples of the analysed tree families. In general, this research showed that a comprehensive evaluation combining both traditional breeding methods (genetic assessment of progeny in the course of growth) and molecular genetic analysis is required for the selection of elite trees.