ACIAR Project FST 2008/007 Advanced breeding and deployment methods for tropical acacias ( ) Follows “Development and evaluation of sterile triploids and polyploid breeding methodologies for commercial species of acacia in Vietnam, South Africa and Australia. (FST/2003/002) University of Tasmania School of Plant Science (Project Leader Prof Rod Griffin) CSIRO (Dr Chris Harwood) Research Centre for Forest Tree Improvement, Forest Science Institute of Vietnam (Project Leader Dr Ha Huy Thinh)

Project objectives 1.Design and implement an efficient strategy for large-scale production, testing and deployment of new acacia hybrid clones for use by tree growers throughout Vietnam 2.Refine and demonstrate seed-based deployment strategies for Acacia mangium 3.Continue the development of new polyploid acacia varieties with potential for improved wood properties and reproductive sterility Context >600,000 hectares acacia in Vietnam Acacia export woodchips in 2011 = $600M

Aa Am F1F1 Aa Am F1F1 Year Acacia auriculiformis breeding Acacia mangium breeding Test and mass-propagate best hybrid clones Objective 1: breeding strategy Polyploid breeding options emerging, many opportunities: AM-4x wood shown to have superior fibre length and stiffness First triploid hybrids (Aa-2X × Am-4X) under trial – seedless? Tetraploid hybrid clones under trial Superior open-pollinated Am tetraploid families (selfed) under trial Control-pollinated crossing continuing mangium tetraploids established 2003 Am-4X seed auriculiformis tetraploids established new diploid hybrid clones from project under test 2012

Objective 2: clonal family forestry Clonal hedges Rooted cuttings for field trial comparing cuttings and seedlings Multiplying limited seed of superior trees from breeding program by hedging seedlings and rooting stem cuttings 3 years of trials at Ba Vi nursery approaching completion

Original clonal orchard has alternate rows of different species and ploidy levels to promote inter-ploidy pollination Objective 3: Polyploid breeding at Bau Bang, southern Vietnam Grafted clone bank for easy controlled pollination Superior (selfed) tetraploid families from open-pollination A few triploids produced, under test! auriculiformis diploid mangium tetraploid mangium diploid

Impacts, John Allwright students, publications Seedless triploids, new diploid hybrids, and tetraploid hybrid clones and families with improved wood properties, for plantation forestry in Vietnam (600,000 ha acacias) and other tropical countries. ACIAR-supported review of commercialization prospects, 2013 JAFs Mr Tran Duc Vuong: MSc UTas (2009), Ms Nghiem Quyn Chi PhD UTas (2012) 7 peer-reviewed journal papers from the projects already published/in press, more in preparation IUFRO Acacia breeding and silviculture working party initiated 2013, FSIV to host international conference 2014