Abstract:By using 12 selected ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat)markers, 78 first generation parents from different provenances of Pinus massoniana were assessed to detect their genetic differences. It was found that the percentage of population polymorphic loci, the Neis genetic diversity and the Shannons information diversity index were high, which indicated that the genetic variation of the first generation breeding population was at high level.The genetic distances ranged from 0.115 to 0.776 with an average genetic distance of 0.371. The genetic distance between parents with large latitudinal distance was greater than that with small latitudinal distance. The geographical latitudinal distance between parents of most superior cross combinations was large, and the genetic distance of most parents were greater than 0.430, indicating the parents with both large latitudinal distance and great genetic distance had the largest potential to exhibiting heterosis. It was proposed that elite trees with both large genetic distance and large geographical latitudinal distance should be preferentially considered in the selection of parents and construction of advanced generation breeding population, to maintain high level of genetic variability and improve the genetic gain of breeding.