THE BREEDING OF INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN TREES

SUMMARY

The breeding of the native trees of Australia is only in its infancy, but interest in the work is growing rapidly and it promises to yield valuable benefits to Australian forestry in the near future. Of special interest to the tree-breeder in Australia are certain species which have great value for special-purpose products.

There is an urgent need to adopt the lead of men overseas by initiating a programme for the selection and preservation of elite trees of the more valuable indigenous species, and to follow this work by progeny tests and by the establishment of arboreta of such trees.

The Forestry and Timber Bureau, in conducting preliminary investigations into the breeding of Australian trees, has carried out tests on the vegetative reproduction of eucalypts and acacias. Eucalypts are difficult to propagate vegetatively. However, by careful attention to conditions of temperature and humidity, it is possible to raise cuttings of shoots bearing juvenile foliage. As almost all eucalypts can be easily made to produce juvenile foliage, it is probable that practically all species can be reproduced in this manner. In cases where it is impracticable to obtain juvenile foliage, grafting offers an alternative method. Work on acacias has shown that several important species can be easily raised from root cuttings.