LAUSR

Abstract Resin terpenes are used as raw material by an array of industrial sectors. Slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) is a multi-purpose tree, best known as a resin-tapping tree species for commercial production of resin. Breeding program of slash pine aimed to improve resin yield (RY) has been implemented for the past decade. The objective of this study was to examine the genetic variation for RY and main resin components in three progeny trials including 32 families planted in Ganzhou, Jian, Jingdezhen in southern China. In total, 22 components, including 5 monoterpenes and 17 diterpenes, were detected in the resin flow of slash pine in the present study. Individual narrow-sense heritability was moderate for RY ( h ^ i 2 = 0.19–0.32) and moderate to high for monoterpene components ( h ^ i 2 = 0.17–0.62) at different sites. A significant site effect for most of the studied properties was observed with the joint analysis of all trials. The estimates of type-B genetic correlations showed that the genotype-by-environment (G × E) interaction had a relatively strong influence on RY and most of the resin chemical components. The genetic correlations (rg) between RY and β-pinene were positive and strong at all three sites (rg = 0.76–0.86). In breeding program of slash pine, one feasible strategy would be to improve RY through selection for high β-pinene. The main components of diterpenes showed moderate to strong and negative correlations with α-pinene, and those with β-pinene were weak and nonsignificant.