Tailoring tree ideotypes for multiple purposes in agroforestry

Abstract

Domestication of indigenous tree species in agroforestry can play a seminal role to mitigate and diversify existing farm ecosystems to adapt against the vagaries of climate change by imitating “Mother Nature” in its pristine state. In this direction, developing elite genotypes in agroforestry matching with the need of farmers and associated industry can fetch higher prices in the market, while ensuring economic and livelihood security of subsistence farmers. To apprehend and enhance the flow of benefits from tree domestication, direct selection of superior genotypes or the conventional breeding approach for desired gene ingression followed by clonal propagation needs to be prioritized for developing ideotypes for specific end use. Further, exploring and tapping the potential of molecular breeding by collaborative efforts of conventional tree breeders, molecular geneticists, and tree physiologists in developing desired ideotypes in agroforestry is highly desirable.