Farm Forestry New ZealandHeartwood in Eucalyptus bosistoana (JNL Ngaumu 2012 trial)
By Clemens Altaner, Monika Sharma, November 2020.
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Executive summary
The ultimate goal of NZDFI breeding programme is to exploit variation in quantity and quality of extractive content to identify superior families in terms of heartwood content and quality. The objective of this study was described in SWP Work Plan 109 and to rank families in terms of extractive content estimated using NIR spectral measurements in 2012 JNL Ngaumu trial established in Wairarapa.
The trees in the trial were of comparable age and only slightly smaller than those in previously assessed E. bosistoana breeding trials, which had good heartwood development. However, only 8% of trees had formed heartwood in this 2012 JNL Ngaumu trial, preventing calculation of genetic values for heartwood traits. Consequently, the trial needs reassessment at a later stage if breeding values for heartwood traits are needed.
The site effect (i.e. environmental factors) on heartwood formation was noticed in previous work. However, this trial contained other genotypes than the previous trials and it is unclear if genetic or environmental (or both) contributed to the low heartwood content in this site.
Interestingly, some outstanding individuals with large heartwood and high extractive content were present.
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Post from Dean Satchell on May 20, 2021 at 8:20PM
NZDFI and the University of Canterbury have a lot of work to do to breed E. bosistoana suitable for commercial deployment. It is inherently a low heartwood species with poor sinuous form. Sure, great heartwood durability but it is being severely defoliated where the new leaf beetle EVB is present. How long to breed an insect-resistant genotype with good form, good growth rates and high heartwood content? Should industry be investing in this work when E. globoidea (white stringybark) is available? A fast growing species with good form, good growth, insect resistance and high heartwood content. A bump in durability is all the breeding programme needs to achieve.
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