Growth and wood properties of natural provenances, local seed sources and clones of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in southern India: implications for breeding and deployment

Abstract

Genetic trials at three dryland sites in southern India compared 183 families from 4 superior natural provenances, 48 families from locally developed seed sources and 10 commercial clones of Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Three of the local seed sources were seed production areas developed by phenotypic selection for growth from an initial broad base of superior natural provenances, and two were clonal trials. The local seed sources grew significantly faster to 3 years than the natural provenances and the clones. Mean survival at 3 years of the natural provenances (72 %, across the three sites) was better than that of local seed sources (67 %) and clones (50 %). The three types of planting materials did not differ significantly in their wood basic density or NIR-predicted lignin content, while clones had significantly higher NIR-predicted pulp yield. Site mean wood density was highest (579 kg m−3), and pulp yield lowest (43.7 %) at the driest site where growth was slowest, while at the wettest, most productive site, density was 517 kg m−3 and pulp yield 46.5 %. Narrow-sense heritabilities and inter-site genetic correlations for growth and wood traits were moderate to high. Genetic correlations between growth and wood traits did not differ significantly from zero. Unpedigreed seed production areas developed from an appropriate genetic base of best provenances, may provide a simple option to mass-produce improved seed.