Genetic and genomic improvement of Quercusalba productivity and resilience: a synthesis of breeding systems in white oaks (Quercus sect. Quercus)

Abstract

American white oak (Quercus alba L.) is a keystone hardwood species with substantial ecological, economic, and cultural value across eastern North American forests. However, its long generation time, delayed reproductive maturity, recalcitrant acorns, regeneration limitations, and complex genotype-by-environment interactions have slowed genetic improvement and climate-resilient deployment. This review synthesizes current knowledge on Q.alba genetics, genomics, quantitative breeding, and conservation, integrating direct evidence from Q. alba with comparative insights from other white oaks (Quercus sect. Quercus) and broader tree improvement systems. Available evidence indicates that white oaks maintain substantial standing genetic variation and geographically structured adaptive diversity, while growth, phenology, and related traits often show moderate genetic control. Nevertheless, polygenic trait architectures, environmental heterogeneity, rapid linkage disequilibrium decay, and limited species-specific validation constrain the direct operational use of genomic signals for selection and seed deployment. We propose an implementation-focused framework that combines range-wide germplasm sampling, multi-environment provenance and progeny trials, spatially adjusted mixed models, genomic prediction, genotype-environment association analyses, and climate-informed seed transfer strategies. Emerging resources, including haplotype-resolved genomes, structural-variant analysis, pangenomics, metabolomics, microbiome-informed phenotyping, and genome editing, may further support white oak improvement but require rigorous validation in Q.alba populations and field trials. We argue that genomic and biotechnological tools should complement, rather than replace, conventional quantitative breeding and long-term field evaluation. A coordinated breeding and restoration strategy that balances genetic gain, adaptive diversity, and climate resilience will be essential for sustaining the productivity, ecological function, and long-term persistence of Q.alba forests under future environmental change.

Keywords

Genomics / Productivity / Quantitative genetics / Resilience / White oak

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Funding

AAES AgR-SEED

U.S. Forest Service(FS-24-JV-11111137-115)

USDA AFRI(2024-68008-42639)

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