Provenance Trial of Intsia bijuga in Sobang, Banten: Variable Growth Offers New Hope for Superior Seedlings

Image: article cover, from Hamdan et al. (2014), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

A research team from the Forest Tree Biotechnology and Breeding Research Centre has evaluated the growth of merbau (Intsia bijuga) at five years of age in Sobang, Banten. The study aims to provide good genetic material for future planting. The trial was established in 2007 with 100 families from 10 provenances, with four trees per family at a spacing of 4 x 4 metres.

At five years of age, survival rates differed significantly among provenances, ranging from 41.61 to 65.11 per cent. Mean tree height ranged from 1.04 to 2.82 metres and stem diameter from 1.24 to 1.59 centimetres. Variation among families was also significant for height and diameter. Family survival rates ranged from 12.5 to 91.67 per cent, mean height from 0.52 to 2.55 metres, and diameter from 0.90 to 2.44 centimetres.

The study recorded individual heritability values of 0.344 for height and 0.259 for diameter. Family heritability for height and diameter was moderate, at 0.573 and 0.491 respectively. The genetic correlation between height and diameter growth was positive and high, at 0.834. For communities and forest managers, these results show that selecting seed from particular provenances and families can help obtain merbau seedlings that grow better.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Plant Growth Variation At Combined Progeny And Provenance Of 5-Year-Old Intsia Bijuga (Colebr. )O.Kuntze In Sobang, Banten by Hamdan Adma Hamdan, Sugeng Pudjiono Sugeng, Burhan Ismail Ismail and Mahfudz Mahfudz, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 1 No. 2 (2014). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Hamdan, H. A., Sugeng, S. P., Ismail, B. I., & Mahfudz, M. (2014). Plant Growth Variation At Combined Progeny And Provenance Of 5-Year-Old Intsia Bijuga (Colebr. )O.Kuntze In Sobang, Banten. Jurnal Wasian, 1(2), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.62142/hq5bne96

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.