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AIR2-CT93-1678
Improvement of Eucalyptus Management. An Integerated Approach: Breeding, Silviculture and Economics
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Contacts
Summary Information
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AIR Cluster IX - Forestry
:
Crops for Solid Biofuels
:
Plant Genetics
:
Solid Biofuels
:
Wood (Lignocellulose)
Final report 1997
Objectives
This project included research lines aimed at establishing a scientific
and economic basis for a possible expansion of the geographical location
of eucalypt plantations in Europe, as well as for a diversification of the
stand coppice system towards other biomass end-uses. The project was
designed to contribute to fill in some of the knowledge gaps existing on
eucalypt forestry: productivity and wood quality in the different
rotations including very short rotation cycles. Other aspects investigated
included the effects of stand density and competition as well as the
response of rooted cuttings to environment stress. In addition, a
continuing effort was made to understand the mechanisms of freezing
resistance. This included provenances and species trials as well as
production of hybrids and was complemented by research at the cellular and
biochemical level.
Activities
The project was divided into the following research actions:
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms of freezing resistance
- Physiological evaluation and production of hybrid clones
- Species and provenances tests
- Study of rooted cuttings
- Coppicing and length of rotation
- Stand density and competition
- Wood quality
- Economic modelling of eucalypt forestry
Results
The project gave the following results:
- A characterisation of cold tolerance in eucalypts at cellular and
biochemical level as a contribution to understand the mechanisms of
frost tolerance and which may be used in future research towards a
genetic engineering of eucalypts for cold tolerance
- Production of hybrids from interspecific controlled pollination from
selected phenotypes of different Eucalyptus species, selection
of clones and establishment of hybrid clonal trials in Portugal and
Italy to make available genetic material with better performance in
relation to growth, wood quality, cold and drought tolerance for future
commercial plantations
- Species and provenances trials for selection of eucalypts for
afforestation in different conditions
- Evaluation of the responses of rooted cuttings to water stress that
maybe used by planters when selecting clones for dry environments
- A database on eucalypt plantations growth including first and second
rotations and different spacing that will be a basis for all future
improvement of growth and yield models
- An improved growth model covering the whole country of Portugal and
two rotations
- An understanding of the role of water deficits on Phoracanta
semipunctata attacks allowing for a better management of plantations
for reducing impact of insect impacts
- Establishment of an ecophysiological trial to relate growth with
physiological competition indexes and the availability of resources
which will allow in the future to develop process based growth models
for eucalypts
- Evaluation of very short rotation trials of E. globulus and
E. camaldulensis under high planting densities for biomass
production, which showed a good production during at least 3 rotations
- Influence of provenance, site, planting density and species on wood
quality, showing that neither cultural factor affects detrimentally wood
quality
- A database for eucalypt plantations regarding productivity,
management operations and costs as well as an economic model assessing
yields and costs of production, coupled to an information system with
production options and factors to consider before decision that provides
the user with a framework for studying the costs of growing and
harvesting eucalyptus and that can be used for sensitivity analysis,
enabling individual variables to be studied in detail
