Variability of Microsatellite Loci in Clone Archives and Test Crops of Scotch Pine in Northern Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, selection and genetic facilities were established under a single all-union program in the 1980–1990s under the methodological guidance of the Central Research Institute of Forest Genetics and Selection (CRIFGS, Voronezh). Since the creation of experimental facilities for Scotch pine (over more than 30 years of testing its clonal and seed progeny), certain results have been obtained: promising clones and half-sibs have been identified and clone varieties have been obtained based on phenotypic assessment of their productivity and stability. However, a genetic identification of selection and genetic facilities in Kazakhstan has yet to be carried out. The aim of the work is to study Pinus sylvestris L. in clone archives and test crops in the north of Kazakhstan based on the variability of microsatellite loci. As a result of the research, the indicator values for the main population parameters of individual and intraspecific variability, subdivision, and differentiation of the 15 studied elite trees of Scotch pine have been established. A comparative analysis of the genetic characteristics of clones with their seed offspring (half-sibs) in three generations is carried out. Based on the results of microsatellite analysis, clones and families of half-sibs of three generations with the highest level of genetic diversity and the presence of rare and unique alleles in the genotypes are identified, which were deemed promising for use in further breeding and reforestation work.