Abstract

Genetic parameters was estimated for growth (tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and volume), stem form, MOE (wood stiffness), bark thickness and bark ratio in a half-sib family progeny trial of Melaleuca cajuputi comprising 80 families in South Vietnam. MOE of standing trees was measured indirectly by acoustic velocity using microsecond timer. Narrow-sense heritability ranged from 0.13 to 0.27 at age 7 years. MOE and stem form had positive genetic correlations with growth while negative correlation between bark ratio and growth was also favourable. Breeding for simultaneous improvement of multiple traits, faster growth with higher MOE and reduction of bark ratio should be possible in M. cajuputi. Index selection based on volume and MOE showed genetic gains of 31% in volume, 6% in MOE and 13% in stem form. In addition, heritability and age-age genetic correlations for growth traits increased with time and optimal early selection age for growth of M. cajuputi based on DBH alone was 4 years. Selected thinning resulted in an increase in heritability due to considerable reduction of phenotypic variation but had little effect on genetic variation.

Keywords

Heritability; age-age correlation; stiffness; acoustic velocity; bark thickness; optimum selection age; thinning effect

Published in

Journal of Tropical Forest Science
2019, Volume: 31, number: 2, pages: 230-239
Publisher: FOREST RESEARCH INST MALAYSIA

SLU Authors

• Nguyen, Hong

  • Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Forest Science Institute of South Vietnam (FSISV)

• Wu, Harry

  • Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Beijing Forestry University

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26525/jtfs2019.31.2.230239

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/100305