Maritime pine for dry-land Western Australia T. B. Butcher and A. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Maritime pine for dry-land Western Australia T. B. Butcher and A. L. Chandler Forest Products Commission, Western Australia

Breeding Pinus pinaster in Western Australia • First planted in WA in 1896 Trials planted in 1926 which showed that p . • pinaster from Portugal (Leiria) had the best growth rate and form for the sandy soils of the swan coastal plain. Plus Tree E105, Forest of Leiria, Portugal, 1964.

Breeding Pinus pinaster in Western Australia • Breeding programs commenced in 1957. Trees were selected for: – Dominance, – Fast growth – Good form • Very successful – 40% more productive as well as straighter and smaller limbed than the original unimproved st ock

Breeding Pinus pinaster in Western Australia • The vision – area 500,000 ha • Low/mid rainfall zone 400-600mm • Land use objectives – Combat salinisation – Integrate trees with agriculture – Commercial tree crop to drive tree planting Land suitable for Pinus pinaster in Western Australia

Dry-land breeding strategy • The existing improved breeding population consists of: – 85 trials – 158 hectares – 183400 trees – 2435 families • Principal traits – S tem straightness – Form – Reduced branch diameter – Vigour

Extreme summer rainfall events Year Dec- Jan Feb March April Summer Annual 1993 9 0 8.2 5.8 4.6 27.6 678 1994 1 0 0.4 2.2 2.2 5.8 494 1995 0 0 27.6 4.8 7.2 39.6 789 1996 7.6 3.4 0 1.4 4.6 17 783 2001 1 0.6 4.4 3.8 6 15.8 533 Mean 8.9 10.5 12.5 15.1 34.6 81.6 684 mm Pearce Weather stat ion

Trial average standing basal area m 2 ha-1 and common Pinus pinaster full-sib families, basal area expressed as percentage of the mean for unthinned trials in Gnangara (Neaves) plantation. Trials planted in 1975-76 at 1080 sha -1 and assessment in 2002 at age 26-27 years, after the extreme summer drought of 2001. DRY FAM YS54DIF YS55DIF YS57DIF YS59DIF YS60DIF tol 1 47 37 48 45 tol 2 36 33 20 33 tol 3 103 71 82 62 tol 4 10 6 25 22 2 tol 5 45 28 47 tol 6 23 45 24 tol 7 29 27 46 tol 8 60 52 tol 9 29 28 18 tol 10 58 63 tol 11 58 59 sus 1 -43 -39 -35 -51 -52 sus 2 -36 -5 -35 -63 sus 3 -53 -48 -45 sus 4 -38 -50 -62 sus 5 -52 -23 -39 sus 6 -21 -41 -52 sus 7 -39 -27 -36 -21 sus 8 -6 -9 -32 -25 -35 sus 9 -25 -2 -39 -40 sus 10 -60 -49 sus 11 -32 -9 -43 2 ha -1 BAHA 30 m 26 24 25 24

Provenances of Pinus pinaster Year Trait Leiria _Imp Leiria_Un Landes Corsica 2 ha -1 1977 Basal Area 21 m 19 12 11 drought 1% 2% 9% 12% 2 ha -1 AT Baha 8 m 7 5 5 2 ha -1 1986 Basal Area 25 m 22 14 14 2 ha -1 2000 Basal Area 45 m 38 23 24 2 ha -1 alive Baha 37 m 35 20 23 survival 69% 78% 78% 89% 3 stem volume 734 dm 570 251 214 3 ha -1 volume mai 12.1 m 9.4 4.2 3.8 good stems 86% 43% 59% 82% good branch 73% 49% 87% 81% 2 ha -1 2005 Basal Area 42 m 39 16 24 survival 62% 75% 42% 79%

Pinus pinaster provenance hybrids Trait E * E Leiria Un E * L E * C 2 ha -1 Basal Area 54 m 42 39 37 diff 28% = -8% -12% survival 80% 74% 55% 72% good stem 76% 43% 70% 91% good branch 59% 47% 61% 88% good form 38% 41% 48% 59% E = Leiria improved. L= Landes improved. C = Corsica improved. Leiria Un = unimproved seed from Leiria Portugal.

Pinus pinaster in Mehcra el Kettane - Morocco • The Mechra el Kettane plantation in Morocco covers an area of some 10,000 ha and is mainly of Leirian race P. pinaster • Climate is similar to medium rainfall southwest WA • Average annual rainfall 420mm • 1993 – 1997, rainfall averaged 280mm 50 year-old Plus phenotype of Pinus pinaster in a drought affected Mechra el Kettane plantation

Establishment of a dry-land breeding population • New breeding population created • Control pollinat ion of parent selected for tree form, growth rate and drought tolerance • Planted in low – medium rainfall areas extending from Moora t o Esperance. • From 1997 – 2007, 32 progeny trials were established, on 55 hectares, testing 843 new families

Early results and performance • MOORA P1997 (462mm rainfall, evaporation 2300mm) • 210 families • S tocking 1515 stems per ha. • Last assessment, in 2005, drought deaths occurred over 12% of the trial

Early results and performance • Age 8 years. Basal area 12m 2 ha -1 for improved trees and – 9m 2 ha -1 for unimproved trees – • Improved trees had 30% more straighter stems, 50% more trees with smaller branches and 16% more healthy trees than the unimproved trees.

Early results and performance • S OUTH STIRLING P1997 (approx 600mm rainfall, evaporation 1800mm) • S ame 210 families as planted at Moora • Measured in early 2007. • 99% stocked • Age 10 years basal area 27m 2 ha -1 for improved trees and – 22m 2 ha -1 for unimproved trees – • Improved trees had 60% with acceptable stem straightness and branching. • Unimproved trees had 70% fewer straight and 40% fewer acceptable branched trees. • All trees were very healthy

Pinus pinaster in Esperance Pinus pinaster breeding trial P1999, Esperance (1 year) • • Rainfall 600mm, evaporation 1700mm

Pinus pinaster in Esperance Age 4 years • Average improved tree height = 4.4m, • Average unimproved tree height = 3.9m. Age 7 years 21m 2 ha -1 Basal area for improved. • 14m 2 ha -1 basal area for unimproved . • Family trial, Esperance P1999. Age 5 years

Malformation in Pinus pinaster

Breeding Pinus brutia in Western Australia Very hardy; its drought t olerance exceeds that of both P. radiata and P. pinaster • • With its strong drought tolerance and control of apical dominance, t his species will be very important in the low/ mid rainfall zone

Pinus brutia Plus trees in Cyprus -> WA trials P1964

Breeding Pinus brutia in Western Australia • 3-year-old tree in Pinus brutia family trial at Dandaragan. • Planted 2001 • Breeding program to improve the growth rate within species.

Pinus brutia x P . pinaster hybrids • Hybrid with P. pinaster to improve drought tolerance and apical dominance of Marit ime pine. First P . pinaster x P . brutia hybrid trial • planted in 2005, east of York. • S urvival at 1 year = 88%