Performance of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings and micropropagated plantlets on an east Texas site I. Above- and belowground growth

East Texas contains the western extent of the natural range of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and, therefore, many planted seedlings there experience water deficit sometimes leading to plantation failure. One solution may be to regenerate with clonally propagated drought-hardy planting stock. The objective of this research was to compare the field performance of loblolly pine seedlings and plantlets of diverse genetic origin, produced via micropropagation technology.