Seed supply, provision of technical advice and literature, and training continued to be a main focus of the project. Research seedlots with a total weight of 14.5kg were sent to a total of 19 customers in 14 countries during the review period. During 2002, seed collections to support the project focussed on Eucalyptus camaldulensis, with extensive field trips to collect natural provenance seed in Western Victoria and Queensland. Additionally seed of several species including Acacia crassicarpa, A. mangium, E. pelfita, and Grevillea robusta was collected from our seed orchards established in a previous project cycle.
Written technical advice on species and provenance selection, improved seed production, silviculture and utilization of Australian species was provided by DAT Project staff to client organizations in many countries worldwide, with Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Niger and Vietnam particularly prominent. Dr Antoine Kalinganire made a two-week technical advisory visit to Ethiopia in August-September 2002 to review performance of Australian tree species in Ethiopia, and priorities and strategies for improved seed production. Provision of in-field technical advice was extended this year by Dr Kalinganire working a further six weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, with additional funding support from ICRAF and ACIAR. Dr Kalinganire's work with ICRAF focussed on developing improved strategies for mass production and distribution of improved tree and shrub germ plasm for agroforestry, in low-income African farming communities. Dr Chris Harwood presented a keynote
,address at the Regional Agroforestry Conference held in Warmbaths, South Africa in May 2002 titled "Advances in domestication to help secure the supply of improved tree and shrub germplasm for agroforestry".
Training conducted in Australia included (i) a six-week training course in seed technology for two staff of the Lao Forestry Department from Laos, Mr Khampone Molumai and Mr Saysana Ithavong, and (ii) a six-week professional attachment for a forestry scientist, Mr Belachew Gizachew, from the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization. The two trainees from Laos received practical training in seed collection, testing and storage, seed orchard management and documentation of seed centre activities. Mr Gizachew produced a professional attachment report which focussed on a statistical analysis of progeny trials of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. globulus, two very important planted species in that country, and on developing a strategy for improved seed production of these two species. Mr Tran Duc Vuong from the Research Centre for Forest Tree Improvement, Vietnam received four weeks of training in starch gel electrophoresis, working with Maurice McDonald on the applied research component of the DAT project. In addition, Mr K M Bandara, a research collaborator from the Forest Department, Sri Lanka commenced postgraduate study in January 2002 at the Australian National University under the John Allwright ACIAR Fellowship Scheme. His research project focuses on selection and breeding of E. grandis for high-value wood products.
As part of the applied research component of the project, a survey of 35 seed orchards of key Australian species in nine countries was completed. The survey provided information on seed yields, and climatic, soil and management factors impacting on seed production, and on the time from planting to attainment of satisfactory flowering and seed production. Many of the orchards of tropical acacia species attained good (>50% of trees) flowering and seed yields by age 5 years, whereas eucalypt orchards, particularly E. camaldulensis and E. tereticornis, generally required about 7 years. Seed orchard in several countries including the India, the
Philippines and Thailand, are now producing substantial quantities of seed ( 1 Os to 100s of kilograms per year) which are being taken up for plantations by private and public sector growers in these countries. Genetic gain trials were planted out in 2002 in India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. These gain trials test seed lots from the orchards of key species against seed from the best natural provenances, and local commercial controls. Isozyme studies have commenced to estimate outcrossing rates in the orchards contributing seed to the genetic gain trials. An Acacia auriculiformis seed orchard at BaVi in northern Vietnam displayed a multi-locus outcrossing rate of 89%, higher than that previously determined in natural stands of this species.
Experiments to test management options to boost seed production in seed orchards of E. camaldulensis and E. tereticornis were established in India and Laos in 1991. Assessment of the results obtained indicates that the only treatment to give a substantial increase in flowering and capsule set to date is the application of the growth regulator paclobutrazol in the Indian trials. A new seedling seed orchard of E. tereticornis was established in Sri Lanka, and clonal seed orchards of A. auriculiformis, A. mangium and E. camaldulensis were established in Vietnam, based on selections from ro en trials of these species.

Year 4 (01/01/2003-31/12/2003)
As in previous years, seed supply, provision of technical advice and literature, and training continued to be a main focus of the project. Research seedlots with a total weight of 10.5kg valued at $25 000 were sent to a total of 25 customers in 16 countries during the year. During 2003, seed collections to support the project focused on Eucalyptus camaldulensis, with extensive field trips to collect natural provenance seed in western Victoria and Queensland. Additionally seed of several species, including Acacia crassicarpa, A. mangium and E. pellita, was collected from seed orchards established in a previous project cycle.
Written technical advice on species and provenance selection, improved seed production, silviculture and utilisation of Australian species was provided by project staff to client organisations in many countries worldwide, with Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania and Thailand prominent.

Seed supply, provision of technical advice and literature, and training continued to be a main focus of the project. Research seedlots with a total weight of 14.5kg were sent to a total of 19 customers in 14 countries during the review period. During 2002, seed collections to support the project focussed on Eucalyptus camaldulensis, with extensive field trips to collect natural provenance seed in Western Victoria and Queensland. Additionally seed of several species including Acacia crassicarpa, A. mangium, E. pelfita, and Grevillea robusta was collected from our seed orchards established in a previous project cycle.
Written technical advice on species and provenance selection, improved seed production, silviculture and utilization of Australian species was provided by DAT Project staff to client organizations in many countries worldwide, with Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Niger and Vietnam particularly prominent. Dr Antoine Kalinganire made a two-week technical advisory visit to Ethiopia in August-September 2002 to review performance of Australian tree species in Ethiopia, and priorities and strategies for improved seed production. Provision of in-field technical advice was extended this year by Dr Kalinganire working a further six weeks in Kenya and Tanzania, with additional funding support from ICRAF and ACIAR. Dr Kalinganire's work with ICRAF focussed on developing improved strategies for mass production and distribution of improved tree and shrub germ plasm for agroforestry, in low-income African farming communities. Dr Chris Harwood presented a keynote
,address at the Regional Agroforestry Conference held in Warmbaths, South Africa in May 2002 titled "Advances in domestication to help secure the supply of improved tree and shrub germplasm for agroforestry".
Training conducted in Australia included (i) a six-week training course in seed technology for two staff of the Lao Forestry Department from Laos, Mr Khampone Molumai and Mr Saysana Ithavong, and (ii) a six-week professional attachment for a forestry scientist, Mr Belachew Gizachew, from the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization. The two trainees from Laos received practical training in seed collection, testing and storage, seed orchard management and documentation of seed centre activities. Mr Gizachew produced a professional attachment report which focussed on a statistical analysis of progeny trials of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. globulus, two very important planted species in that country, and on developing a strategy for improved seed production of these two species. Mr Tran Duc Vuong from the Research Centre for Forest Tree Improvement, Vietnam received four weeks of training in starch gel electrophoresis, working with Maurice McDonald on the applied research component of the DAT project. In addition, Mr K M Bandara, a research collaborator from the Forest Department, Sri Lanka commenced postgraduate study in January 2002 at the Australian National University under the John Allwright ACIAR Fellowship Scheme. His research project focuses on selection and breeding of E. grandis for high-value wood products.
As part of the applied research component of the project, a survey of 35 seed orchards of key Australian species in nine countries was completed. The survey provided information on seed yields, and climatic, soil and management factors impacting on seed production, and on the time from planting to attainment of satisfactory flowering and seed production. Many of the orchards of tropical acacia species attained good (>50% of trees) flowering and seed yields by age 5 years, whereas eucalypt orchards, particularly E. camaldulensis and E. tereticornis, generally required about 7 years. Seed orchard in several countries including the India, the
Philippines and Thailand, are now producing substantial quantities of seed ( 1 Os to 100s of kilograms per year) which are being taken up for plantations by private and public sector growers in these countries. Genetic gain trials were planted out in 2002 in India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. These gain trials test seed lots from the orchards of key species against seed from the best natural provenances, and local commercial controls. Isozyme studies have commenced to estimate outcrossing rates in the orchards contributing seed to the genetic gain trials. An Acacia auriculiformis seed orchard at BaVi in northern Vietnam displayed a multi-locus outcrossing rate of 89%, higher than that previously determined in natural stands of this species.
Experiments to test management options to boost seed production in seed orchards of E. camaldulensis and E. tereticornis were established in India and Laos in 1991. Assessment of the results obtained indicates that the only treatment to give a substantial increase in flowering and capsule set to date is the application of the growth regulator paclobutrazol in the Indian trials. A new seedling seed orchard of E. tereticornis was established in Sri Lanka, and clonal seed orchards of A. auriculiformis, A. mangium and E. camaldulensis were established in Vietnam, based on selections from ro en trials of these species.

Year 4 (01/01/2003-31/12/2003)
As in previous years, seed supply, provision of technical advice and literature, and training continued to be a main focus of the project. Research seedlots with a total weight of 10.5kg valued at $25 000 were sent to a total of 25 customers in 16 countries during the year. During 2003, seed collections to support the project focused on Eucalyptus camaldulensis, with extensive field trips to collect natural provenance seed in western Victoria and Queensland. Additionally seed of several species, including Acacia crassicarpa, A. mangium and E. pellita, was collected from seed orchards established in a previous project cycle.
Written technical advice on species and provenance selection, improved seed production, silviculture and utilisation of Australian species was provided by project staff to client organisations in many countries worldwide, with Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania and Thailand prominent.

see final report

see final report

see final report