Conference paper
Morphological and heartwood variation of Santalum macgregorii in Papua New Guinea
ACIAR Proceedings 150, 250
Sandalwood Regional Forum (Port Vila, Vanuatu, 11-Nov-2019–13-Nov-2019)
ACIAR Proceedings Series, 150, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
2021
Abstract
Santalum macgregorii is endemic to the southern part of Papua New Guinea (PNG). This species has been exploited commercially to the point where conservation through domestication is now required to help preserve natural populations. However, there is a lack of knowledge of the natural variation in S. macgregorii populations and therefore also the optimal sampling strategy to capture the remaining diversity. In this study, morphological variation (stem and tree form) and heartwood percentage were assessed in 126 S. macgregorii trees across five populations and three provinces in PNG. Wood cores were extracted from each tree to determine the extent of heartwood development and oil quality. Mean tree diameter was found to be 16.4 cm at tree base (0.2 m) and not significantly different among the five populations sampled. A total of 79% of the trees surveyed had heartwood. Mean heartwood percentage was 15.8% of the basal area, with no significant difference among the populations. Significant tree-to-tree variation in heartwood percentage (0 to 61%) was found. A modest positive correlation was found between stem and heartwood diameter (R 2 = 0.15). To date, informal domestication has been key to the conservation of S. macgregorii, with over half (56%) of the trees sampled established through planting or assisted natural regeneration. Physical damage through the action of bark slashing, heartwood check and anthropogenic fire was frequent. A higher incidence of bark slashing was found in trees that were proximal to a village, whereas heartwood check and trunk scald (associated with fire damage) was more frequently found in trees further from a village. Heartwood rot was recorded in almost one in five trees, and even more frequently in trees with trunk scald damage. 23
Details
- Title
- Morphological and heartwood variation of Santalum macgregorii in Papua New Guinea
- Authors
- G Jeffrey (Author)Paul Macdonell (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research CentreL Oa (Author)G Rome (Author)Tony Page (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Industries Research Centre
- Publication details
- ACIAR Proceedings 150, 250; 237
- Conference details
- Sandalwood Regional Forum (Port Vila, Vanuatu, 11-Nov-2019–13-Nov-2019)
- Series
- ACIAR Proceedings Series; 150
- Publisher
- Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
- Date published
- 2021
- ISSN
- 1447-0837; 1038-6920
- ISBN
- 9781922635754
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99659697402621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
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