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Selection, breeding and development of Cape York sandalwood
Conference paper   Peer reviewed

Selection, breeding and development of Cape York sandalwood

David Lee, A J Burridge, Aaron Brunton, Gabriel Conroy, Steven Ogbourne and Nicholas Thomson
ACIAR Proceedings 150, pp.129-136
Sandalwood Regional Forum, 2019 (Port Vila, Vanuatu, 11-Nov-2019–13-Nov-2019)
ACIAR Proceedings Series, 150, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
2021
url
https://www.aciar.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-01/ACIAR-PR150.pdfView
Published Version Open

Abstract

Forestry sciences Forestry not elsewhere classified sandalwood clone genetic diversity progeny trial risk Santalum lanceolatum
Northern sandalwood (Santalum lanceolatum R.Br.) was harvested to near extinction in the Cape York Peninsula (CYP) and the species has not recovered. Some of the remnant trees have desirable oil profiles (high α-santalol and β-santalol). Hence, a breeding program has been initiated to develop the species to allow it to be planted back into the wild and also to provide improved germplasm that can be used to establish plantations on Indigenous land in the CYP. Microsatellite markers indicated that the populations of S. lanceolatum in the Northern Peninsula Area of the CYP had low levels of genetic diversity and were highly clonal (over 50% of trees sampled were clones). This may explain the low levels of fruit set in the wild. This molecular study supported the tree improvement program’s focus of capturing only a few trees from each remnant stand across the region. Grafted clonal sandalwood seed orchards have abundant flowering and produce ample seed, allowing the establishment of two progeny trials in the northern CYP. Two-year survival in these trials was excellent (96%) in an irrigated trial and moderate in an unirrigated trial (78%). Growth in the irrigated trial was also better with sandalwood trees averaging 2.01 m height and 2.4 cm diameter at breast height over bark (DBHOB). The fastest growing family in this trial averaged 2.61 m height and 3.3 cm DBHOB at this measure. In contrast, the unirrigated trial averaged 1.75 m height and 0.9 cm DBHOB, with the fastest growing family in this trial averaging 2.25 m height and 1.3 cm DBHOB. The four ‘best growth’ families in each trial, at this young age, were not the same, suggesting that selection strategies for these contrasting environments should focus on different families.

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