Variation in lodgepole pine (Pinuscontorta var. latifolia): greenhouse response of wind pollinated families from five populations to day length and temperature–soil

Abstract

Seeds were collected from 10 lodgepole pine trees in each of five stands located in Utah, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and British Columbia. Seeds were planted and seedlings grown in four day-length regimes (14, 15.5, 16.5, and 22 h) in each of two temperature regimes (warm and cool). Soils used in the warm and cool treatment were slightly different. Height and dry weight were recorded.Variability among families within populations was considerably greater than that among populations. If interactions between families of the two cone types (open and closed) are removed, correlation between among-family variance and differential family response to day length and temperature–soil treatments is strong for dry weight (r² = 0.96), and less strong for height (r² = 0.51). Families from open- and closed-cone mothers did not have different heights and dry weights, but in at least some of the populations were different in the degree of among-family variability.Correlation between greenhouse and 5th-year heights of field planted seedlings was poor for individual families, but good (r² = 0.92) for mean population heights. Correlation between 5th-year mean population heights and site index of the parent stand was also good (r² = 0.89).