Early selection of parents and trees in Eucalyptus full-sib progeny tests
José Luis Lima, João Cândido de Souza, Magno Antônio Patto Ramalho, Hélder Bolognani Andrade and Leonardo Chagas de Sousa
ABSTRACT – This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of early selection for parents and trees for cloning in full-sib progeny tests of Eucalyptus spp. The 61 hybrid progenies were evaluated in the north, northwest and central state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in a randomized complete block design with three replications, in 2001. The trait circumference at breast height (CBH) was evaluated 30 and 84 months after planting in five-plant rows. The selection efficiency was assessed by the fluctuation of genetic and phenotypic parameters, coincidence index, genetic correlation, phenotypic correlation, Spearman rank correlation, correlated response, gain per year and repeatability of phenotypic values at the plant level. All methodologies indicated that early selection is effective both in the selection of parents and the selection of trees for cloning.