Basic HTML Version
Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2013, Vol.3, No.2, 4
-
11
http://tgmb.sophiapublisher.com
4
Research Report Open Access
Clonal Seed Orchard of Teak (
Tectona grandis
L.f.): Genetic Diversity Measures
Primary Basis for Future Environmental Uncertainty
P.M. Sreekanth
1
, M. Balasundaran
2
1. Biotechnology and Applied Genetics, Bangalore City College New Campus, Kalyan Nagar, Banaswadi Outer Ring Road, Bangalore, 560043, India;
2. Environmental Biotechnology, Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences, Velloor P.O., Kottayam, 686501, Kerala, India
Corresponding author email:
sreekanthpm@gmail.com;
Authors
Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2013, Vol.3, No.2 doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2013.03.0002
Received: 20 Feb., 2013
Accepted: 09 Mar., 2013
Published: 03 Apr., 2013
This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction
in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article:
Sreekanth and Balasundaran, 2013, Clonal Seed Orchard of Teak (
Tectona grandis
L.f.): Genetic Diversity Measures Primary Basis for Future Environmental
Uncertainty, Vol.3, No.2 4-11 (doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2013.03.0002)
Abstract
To gain understanding of the importance of genetic diversity, seed source and ecotype variation of clonal seed orchard
(CSO) of teak, the lower genetic diversity might be causing, to some extent inbreeding in CSO affecting seed set, seed germination
and seedling health. However, the genetic diversity forms primary basis for future environmental uncertainties, these factors is
insufficient to explain the poor performance of seed orchards with respect to seed production and viability. Future CSOs may be
established using genetically diverse clones selected from same provenance and showing profuse synchronized flowering and seed
set. These attributes have to be ensured while selecting candidate plus trees or plus trees from which the clones are derived.
Keywords
Clonal seed orchard, Genetic diversity, Teak,
Tectona grandis
L.f.
1 Introduction
Teak (
Tectona grandis
L.f.) is one the preeminent durable
timbers of the world known to perform well in plant-
ations under favorable conditions. Global demand of
products from teak has got very good prospects for
propagating them in plantations. With the diminishing
availability of teak from natural forest, plantations are
important sources of timber to meet the mounting
demand. About 94 per cent of global teak plantations
are in tropical Asia, with India (44%) and Indonesia
(31%) accounting for the bulk of the resource. In India
and Myanmar the first systematic efforts to establish
teak plantations were made more than 150 years ago
(FAO, 1993). The first teak plantation in India was
established in 1842 at Nilambur, Kerala, Southern
India with the purpose of enriching the teak forests
(Katwal, 2005). At the moment, teak plantations exist
around 1.5 million hectare in India and around 50 000
hectare of teak plantations are propagated annually
(Subramanian et al., 2000). In Kerala, teak plantations
cover about 50 per cent of the total man made forests
of which 32 per cent are of site quality II and above,
while the rest are of quality
Ⅲ
and
Ⅳ
(George,
1961). Teak plantations are raised in Nilambur,
Wayanad, Ranni, Konni, Chalakkudy, Thrissur and
Palakkad forest divisions. Apart from Kerala, teak
plantations also exist in other states such as Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andamans and
Assam. Organized teak planting programme started in
Tamil Nadu since the first five – year plan. Teak was
planted for high quality timber. Currently teak
plantations are available in 20 000 ha in Tamil Nadu,
which also includes 2 000 ha along canal banks in the
Tanjore district (Kala et al., 2005). The history of teak
planting in Andhra Pradesh is over a century old and
total planted area up to 2000~2001 is 111 931 ha. The
oldest artificially raised teak is through seed dibbling
in Marripakala RF in Vishakapattanam district, followed
by wood plantations in Nallamalai catchments of
Kurnool district (Rao, 2005). A good deal of planting
has been done from time to time in different localities
of Maharashtra (Tewari, 1992). Maharashtra forest
department has established teak plantations in about 2,
75 907 ha. Private companies and progressive farmers
also started raising teak plantations from 1990 onwards
(Gogate et al., 2005). Teak plantations in Madhya Pra-
desh dates back to 1891 in North Raipur Forest
Division. Large scale teak plantations were taken up
in 12 districts by teak development corporation of