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Guide to quality seedling production in smallholder nurseries
Conference paper

Guide to quality seedling production in smallholder nurseries

Nestor O Gregorio, John L Herbohn and Steve R Harrison
Proceedings from the Mid-term Workshop (ASEM/2006/091), pp.183-208
Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Philippines Tree Nursery Sector Conference, 2009 (Baybay, Philippines, 13-Feb-2009)
University of Queensland
2010
url
https://www.aciar.gov.au/View
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Abstract

Forestry Sciences Policy and Administration
The quality of planting stock is a major factor in determining the success of tree farming. The survival of trees, growth performance, length of rotation period and volume and quality of timber that can be harvested from a plantation are greatly influenced by the quality of seedlings used. Seedlings raised in a nursery should be of high quality and the nursery operator should focus on raising high quality seedlings rather than on the number of seedlings produced. It is better to produce fewer seedlings of high quality rather than to produce many seedlings of low quality. Unfortunately, in the Philippines, private and government nurseries concentrate on the quantity rather than on improving the quality of seedlings. Seedling quality refers to genetic and physical properties. Genetic quality relates to the genetic characteristics of the source of germplasm, while physical quality refers to the physical condition of the seedling as it is raised in the nursery. The physical quality of seedlings can be improved by good practice within the nursery but there is no quick fix to improve seedling genetic quality. Producing seedlings of high physical quality can be carried out when the seedlings are in the nursery, while raising seedlings of high genetic quality requires the application of appropriate technologies prior to the production of seedlings in the nursery. Improving the seedling genetic quality requires a long-term process of mother tree selection and an appropriate germplasm collection procedure. This Q-seedling manual demonstrates and discusses the simple procedures and smallholder-based technologies for producing high quality seedlings or 'Q-seedlings'. This manual is designed to assist nursery managers in improving the quality of seedlings they produce. The technologies included are taken from various sources including the research output of ACIAR-assisted project SST 96/110 Tree Production Technologies for the Philippines and Tropical Australia, research and development results of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), findings of recent nursery industry surveys in Leyte and Mindanao, and various publications on nursery seedling production.

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