IntroductionThe development of fast-growing selected clones of the natural interspecific hybridcombination A. mangiumWilld.9A. auriculiformisA. Cunn. ex Benth. (hereafterreferred to as acacia hybrid) is a major contribution to plantation forestry and the ruraleconomy in Vietnam (Kha2009). By the end of 2009, the area of acacia hybrid plantationswas estimated at 232,000 ha by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(MARD, unpublished data), making acacia hybrid the most important plantation treevariety in Vietnam. Wood of acacia hybrid has been found to be suitable for exportwoodchips, kraft pulp production in Vietnamese pulp mills, and also for sawing to producefurniture components (Kha 2001). Acacia hybrid is also planted on a large scale forpulpwood production in Karnataka State, India (Amanulla et al.2004) and plantations areunder development in Malaysia and other SE Asian countries (Mohd. Ghazali et al.2007).Pure-species plantations of A. mangiumand A. auriculiformishave developed asimportant plantation species in Vietnam, following seed introductions from natural provenances in Papua New Guinea and north Queensland in the second half of the twentiethCentury (Nghia and Kha1998; Hai et al. 2008a). Commencing in 1992, acacia hybridclones were developed from occasional hybrid individuals identified in youngA. mangiumplantations in Vietnam (Kha2001). To date, most acacia hybrid genotypes selected forclonal testing appear to be first-generation A. mangium9auriculiformishybrids, presumably arising from open-pollination by A. auriculiformisfathers growing near the A.mangiummother trees that supplied the seed used to establish the plantations. Many of theacacia hybrid genotypes identified in theA. mangiumplantations are not acceptable forproduction forestry, because they are unsatisfactory with respect to one or more importanttraits such as ease of rooting, growth, branch size, stem form or pest and disease susceptibility (Kha2001). Phenotypically superior candidate acacia hybrid individuals arecoppiced, brought into clonal propagation via rooted stem cuttings, followed by clonaltesting of those clones that are easy to propagate. Candidates under clonal testing arecaptured in micropropagation to enable mass-production of clonal hedge plants. Clonetrials at multiple locations are established to rank the clones for survival, growth, stemform and branching, resistance to pests and diseases and wood properties (Kha 2001).Well-tested, outstanding individual hybrid clones are then approved by MARD for use inproduction plantations.From the first set of clonal tests in the 1990s, six hybrid clones with high productivity,health and stem quality (clone numbers BV10, 16 and 32, and TB 3, 6 and 12) wereapproved by MARD for commercial use in the year 2000. These selected clones wereshown to significantly out-perform pure-species seedlots ofA. mangiumandA. auriculiformis in field trials at trial locations in lowland northern, central and southern Vietnam(Kha 2001). On a productive site at Bau Bang, in Binh Duong province in southern
Vietnam, with intensive cultivation, productivity of the best acacia hybrid clones in a
5-year rotation at close spacing (3 m92 m) has exceeded 30 m
3
ha
-1
year
-1
(Kha et al.
2005). At Ba Vi in northern Vietnam on shallow and infertile soils and with a cool and dry
winter season, productivity of acacia hybrid can reach 15 m
3
ha
-1
year
-1
while that of
A. mangiumon these sites is only 9 m
3
ha
-1
year
-1
(Dao2003).
Ideally, a large clonal plantation estate needs to be supported by a program of breeding
and clonal development and testing to supply many improved production clones. This
provides a safeguard against potential susceptibility to emerging pests and diseases, provides clones adapted to the range of target planting environments, as well as yielding
ongoing improvement in growth performance and wood properties (Burdon and Aimers-14 New Forests (2012) 43:13–29
123
Halliday2006). The Forest Science Institute of Vietnam (FSIV) and other research
agencies in Vietnam have therefore developed additional production clones. By 2008,
MARD had approved a total of nineteen acacia hybrid clones for use in operational
plantations. However, only six (BV10, 16, 32 and 33, and TB6 and 12) are preferred by
plantation growers (FSIV, unpublished data).
When selecting clones for deployment, the relative weightings to be placed on traits that
are important for the target production systems must be considered. Surveys of enterprises
involved in acacia hybrid growing and processing in Vietnam (PH Hai and CE Harwood,
unpublished data) showed that smallholder growers, who manage about half of the acacia
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