Variation in Tree Growth Characteristics, Pilodyn Penetration, and Stress-wave Velocity in 65 Families of Acacia mangium Trees Planted in Indonesia

Abstract

Growth characteristics [stem diameter (D), tree height (H)] and wood properties [Pilodyn penetration (P) and stress-wave velocity (SWV)] were measured for 65 families of 6-year-old Acacia mangium trees planted in Indonesia, in order to characterize their variation in D, H, P, and SWV. Therefore, the correlations between the measured characteristics were also determined, and their significant differences observed. Furthermore, their low to moderate values of narrow-sense heritability was obtained, and the results indicated the characteristics to be genetically controlled in A. mangium. In addition, highly significant positive correlations were observed among the growth characteristics, suggesting a close relationship, while there was no significant association between the growth characteristics and P, as well as SWV, indicating their independent. Therefore, these results demonstrate a potential for the improvement of both growth and wood properties of A. mangium trees, using the appropriate breeding programs. In addition, 18 families showed good performance in D and SWV, signifying their positive prospect of being considered as plus trees for the next generation breeding cycles.

Effect of Genetic Gain in Diameter and Wood Density on Advanced Generation Breeding Strategy of Acacia Mangium in Indonesia

“…Differences between families were insignificant across all three sections, probably due to experimental error given the number of sample trees (186 trees) for the ANOVA was small. In other studies, significant differences among families of A. mangium for DBH were found when 1265 trees (p < 0.01) were sampled at 3 years of age (Nirsatmanto 2016) and 278 trees (p < 0.05) at 6 years of age (Hidayati et al 2019).…”

“…Acacia mangium is valued as a plantation species due to its fast growth and utility as a raw material for both sawn timber and the pulp and paper industry (Tsai 1988, Wong et al 1988). Significant efforts have been made to improve breeding populations and silvicultural practices to increase productivity and resource utilisation (Harwood 2011, Hardiyanto & Nambiar 2014, Harwood et al 2015, Nirsatmanto & Sunarti 2019. Growth and wood quality are targets for improvement as they determine the quality and quantity of raw materials produced for industrial use.…”

Variations of growth and wood traits in standing trees of the third-generation Acacia mangium families in Indonesia

“…In addition to growth traits, wood traits, such as wood density and strength properties, have been considered essential for sustainable wood utilization. In tree breeding for wood quality, non-destructive and semi-destructive testing methods are applied to evaluate wood traits to decrease the cost and increase efficiency (Chen et al, 2010;Wu et al, 2011;Hidayati et al, 2013Hidayati et al, , 2019Hai et al, 2015). For example, nondestructive testing, stress-wave velocity (Wu et al, 2011;Hidayati et al, 2013Hidayati et al, , 2019Hai et al, 2015), and semi-destructive testing, Pilodyn penetration (Chen et al, 2010;Wu et al, 2011;Hidayati et al, 2013Hidayati et al, , 2019Hai et al, 2015) can evaluate Young's modulus and wood density of stems in standing trees, respectively.…”

“…A comprehensive tree breeding program for A. mangium in Indonesia was initiated by the Center for Forest Biotechnology and Tree Improvement, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Nirsatmanto and Kurinobu, 2002;Nirsatmanto et al, 2003Nirsatmanto et al, , 2004Nirsatmanto et al, , 2013Nirsatmanto et al, , 2015Nirsatmanto, 2012;Hidayati et al, 2019;Rindarto et al, 2021;Sunarti et al, 2022). The first-generation seedling seed orchards were established in 1994 with about 200 families in four sublines (A, B, C, and D) from two different origins, Papua New Guinea (PNG; sub-lines A and B) and Far North Queensland (FNQ; sub-lines C and D), Australia (Nirsatmanto and Kurinobu, 2002;Nirsatmanto et al, 2003, Table 1 and Figure 1).…”

“…Recently, the wood quality of A. mangium has also been required to be improved by tree breeding programs to fulfill the wood industry requirements. Hidayati et al (2019) evaluated the heritability of growth and wood traits (stress-wave velocity and Pilodyn penetration) in 6-year-old third-generation A. mangium. They reported that the heritability of growth traits was higher than that of wood traits.…”