The Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis Barret & Golfari is highly important as a cultivated species for wooden production and approximately 1.8 million hectare are planted with the species, in Brazil. This research has aimed to verify through SSR markers the genetic variability in Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, as well as its maintenance during genetic improvement, into the base population for breeding, a population of elite trees and an F1 hybrid population. For this study we have transferred primers of SSR loci developed for other Pinus species. Eight out of 20 tested primers have been successfully transferred to the P. caribaea (RPS 25b, RPS 150, PSM 2, PR 4.6, PtTX 2037, PtTX 3029, RPTest 01, and RPTest 09). Inbreeding was verified within and between populations, and the highest observed value between populations was F ST = 0.0213. The observed heterozigosity (Ho) and the expected heterozigosity (He) means were, respectively, 0.2469 and 0.2489. The highest genetic distance (D = 0.0119) was observed between the base populations and the F1 improved population. Based on genetic distance values obtained for elite trees, 10 potential crossings between contrasting elite trees have been indicated, aiming to reach the hybrid vigor between progenies from those crossings.
Genetic markers; DNA, controlled pollinations; genetic parameters
