Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Analysis of Pinus elliottii Germplasm Resources in Jiangxi Province

This study aimed to compare and assess the genetic diversity and trends among the introduced family provenance, first-cycle superior trees breeding provenance, and improved-generation superior trees breeding provenance of <i>Pinus elliottii</i> using EST-SSR markers. The goal was to provide a foundation for advanced genetic improvement and sustainable utilization of <i>P. elliottii</i> in Jiangxi Province. A total of 417 individuals were analyzed for their genetic diversity and population structure using 19 pairs of SSR markers. The analysis identified 103 alleles across all the samples, with an average of 5.421 alleles per locus. Compared to other coniferous species, <i>P. elliottii</i> exhibited a moderate to high level of genetic diversity (<i>I</i> = 0.862, <i>He</i> = 0.457). Analysis of the molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 97.90% of the genetic variation occurred within provenances, consistent with a low genetic differentiation coefficient (<i>Fst</i> = 0.016 < 0.05) and high gene flow (<i>Nm</i> = 15.715) among provenances. In addition, analysis using STRUCTURE v. 2.3.4 software divided the 417 germplasm samples into two distinct groups, corroborating the results of the principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic (UPGMA) clustering analysis. Overall, the germplasm resources of <i>P. elliottii</i> exhibited rich genetic diversity, with the majority of the genetic variation occurring within provenances. For the genetic improvement of high-resin-yielding slash pines, breeding programs should prioritize populations with high genetic diversity while carefully selecting superior individuals from within those populations. These findings provide a solid foundation for breeding high-resin-yielding varieties and for future research on the sustainable utilization of these valuable resources.