Seed supply strategy for a pulpwood plantation project in southern Sumatra.

Abstract

Large quantities of Acacia mangium seed are required by the Barito Pacific Group of Indonesia for pulpwood plantation establishment in Subanjeriji, southern Sumatra. Initially this will be supplied from stands of a local landrace derived from 5 Australian and 2 Indonesian provenances. Seed production is being managed in 15 selected stands. Long-term seed needs will be supplied from provenances from Papua New Guinea and Claudie River, Queensland, Australia. Three seed production areas were established in 1991-92 using seed from 4 superior Papua New Guinea provenances. In 1992, seed source tests were established at 3 different plantation locations. The 4 Papua New Guinea provenances and the Claudie River provenance were included, plus seed from 10 different stands of the Subanjeriji landrace. No differences in height or diameter were evident in 1-year-old trees. Two-hundred plus trees were selected from the Subanjeriji plantations and in 1988-89 the first progeny test/seedling seed orchard was established near Palembang. The 1993 seed crop, at age 4 years, looks promising. In 1991, the project also established progeny trial/seedling seed orchards of 50 progenies at 2 plantation sites. Additional seedling seed orchards were planted at 2 locations in 1992. Experimental hybrid seed orchards have been established to build up a base for a clonal forestry programme using the promising hybrid A. mangium × A. auriculiformis.