Selection and Screening of Superior Genotypes for Quality Planting Stock Based on Vegetative Growth Performance of Some Selected 12-Year-Old <i>Acacia</i> Species

Abstract

Production of quality wood is a big problem in forestry plantation since trees grown in plantation of some high value temperate and tropical hardwood species tend to produce low value, short butt logs and bolts due to crooked stems, low fork heights and delayed shedding of lower branches. Result from existing Acacia plantation in Malaysia indicated that most existing Acacia plantation trees especially Acacia auriculiformis and Acacia mangium, fork very heavily which leads to the formation of multiple leaders more than one and some are fork so close to the ground that they will produce little to no merchantable wood. In this context, a research study was initiated to select and recommend the best performing tree species or provenance suited for timber production in Malaysia with respect to growth and other characteristics. Species/provenance/progeny test was conducted on four species of Acacia namely, A. mangium, A. auriculiformis, A. crassicarpa and A. aulococarpa, each with 4 provenances originated from Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Queensland (QL). The growth performance of the provenances was monitored in terms of some quantitative and qualitative characteristics to evaluate the genetic variation and growth performance of a base breeding population. 20 progenies for each species were selected and randomly planted with 16 trees representing each progenies in a trial plot laid out in a randomized complete block * Corresponding author. M. S. Kumar et al. 218design consisting of four blocks as replication. The study showed that there were significant different (p < 0.05) between species, provenance and progenies for their growth performance. Generally with regard to growth, A. mangium performed better compared to other Acacia species in all of the aspect tested and it was followed by A. crassicarpa, A. aulococarpa and A. auriculiformis. There were also significant differences between provenance within regions and progenies within provenances in all quantitative and qualitative traits tested in this study. Generally, provenance and progenies selected from PNG excelled those from QL both in quantitative and qualitative characteristics. The top performing progenies of Acacia species are CG 1854 of (Bensbach WP) and KN000107 (SW of Boset WP) of A. mangium, BVG2609 (Bensbach WP) of A. crassicarpa, BVG 00835 (WP Morehead) and MM1016 (Arufi E Morehead WP) of A. aulococarpa and JSL363 (Wenlock River) and BVG 2657 (Bansbach) of A. auriculiformis. Note: BF = Bole form, SS = Stem straightness, FA = Forking ability, BS = Branch size, BA = Branch angle; Values are expressed in Mean ± Standard Error; Significant differences among species are indicated by different lower case letters (p < 0.05).

Genetic Diversity and Structure of Terminalia bellerica (Gaertn. Roxb.) Population in India as Revealed by Genetic Analysis

“…This could be attributed to its remarkable growth and volume, potentially explaining its exceptional performance. The current investigation is supported by prior evidence showing variation in leaf features and their correlation to production in various plant species such as Toona ciliata [33], N. cadamba [34,35], Ficus carica [36], Acacia species [7], Pongamia pinnata [37], Aquilaria malaccensis [29], Poplar [38], Dalbergia sissoo [27], and Acacia catechu [39].…”

“…The progenies, specifically FCRITB03, FCRITB10, FCRITB16, and FCRITB17 displayed significantly higher measurements in various biometric characteristics including height, basal diameter, leaf length, leaf width, and leaf area. The outcomes are consistent with Neolamarckia cadamba, Casuarina clones, Ailanthus excelsa, Santalum album, Dalbergia sissoo, Pongamia pinnata, Acacia species, Salix species, Aquilaria malaccensis, Melia azedarach, Leucaena leucocephala, and Toona ciliata [7,9,11,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Furthermore, the comparable height observed in FCRITB16 and FCRITB17 can be attributed to the similarity in weather parameters, with both provincesprovinces experiencing an average temperature of 17.3 • C and annual rainfall of 2036 mm.…”

“…Besides variability, the role of heritability in estimating potential gains from selection programs is of the utmost importance [ 6 ]. Understanding the heritability of selected traits is essential [ 7 ], hence it is valuable to assess the genetic analysis to determine the heritable components. At present, there is a lack of information about T. bellerica in this field.…”

Coppicing Abilities of Decapitated Elite Tree Trunks of Selected Acacia Species Genotypes in Mixed-Species Plantation

“…Superior plus trees were selected based on their quantitative and qualitative traits, such as diameter at breast height (DBH), total height, crown emergence, crown diameter, crown form, stem straightness, branching and forking system, branching quality and quantity, the axis of branches, and pruning ability (Table 2). Detailed information on the selection criteria were obtained from Kumar et al [37]. Trees having the best phenotype for a certain growth trait were given the highest rank and followed by non-favorable phenotypes following the descending scoring system (6 for the best).…”

Are Tree Seed Systems for Forest Landscape Restoration Fit for Purpose? An Analysis of Four Asian Countries

“…Genetic structures of important native timber species have been studied to identify seed transfer zones [120]. Provenance trials have been conducted for a number of plantation species, mainly Acacia and Teak [121][122][123]. The Innoprise-IKEA Tropical Forest Rehabilitation Project (INIKEA) and the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment by the University of Zurich and the University of Oxford [124] have conducted studies on the expected effects of climate change on the distributions of priority native species [125].…”