In most breeding programs of plant and animal species, genetic data (such as data from field progeny tests) are used to rank parents and help choose candidates for selection. In general, all selection processes first rank the candidates using some function of the observed data and then choose as the selected portion those candidates with the largest (or smallest) values of that function. To make maximum progress from selection, it is necessary to use a function of the data that results in the candidates being ranked as closely as possible to the true (but always unknown) ranking. Very often...

Winner of a 2009 Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) award

Trees continue to maintain a unique significance in the social, ecological and economic systems of the world - as large, long-lived perennials covering 30% of land on Earth; their very nature dictates their importance. An understanding of forest genetics is essential for providing insight into the evolution, conservation, management and sustainability of both natural and managed forests.

Providing a comprehensive introduction to the principles of genetics as important to forest trees, this text integrates the...