Chloroplast DNA variation and pollen contamination in a Pinus brutia Ten. clonal seed orchard: implication for progeny performance in plantations

Pollen contamination is one of the important factors affecting the yield, adaptability, and genetic quality of the seed produced from seed orchards in forest tree breeding programs. Incoming pollen from the forests surrounding the seed orchard is a major concern in tree breeding because it contributes to losses in the expected genetic gains from seed orchard crops.