GENETIC VARIATION IN GROWTH AND OIL CHARACTERISTIC OF <em>MELALEUCA</em> <em>CAJUPUTI</em> SUBSP. <em>CAJAPUTI</em> AND POTENTIAL FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

Patterns of variation in growth and foliar oil traits in Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cajuputi were studied in a two-year-old provenance/progeny trial at Paliyan, Indonesia and genetic parameters were estimated. Growth (height and diameter) and oil characteristics (oil concentration and 1,8-cineole per cent) amongst the M. cajuputi subsp. cajuputi families in the Paliyan trial were found to be highly variable, moderately to strongly inherited and independent of each other genetically. Individual heritabilities ranged from 0.38 for height growth to 0.54 for 1,8-cineole per cent, while genetic correlation between growth and oil traits were very low (- 0.07 to 0.10). This bodes well for the capture of gains from selection and breeding of M. cajuputi for increased production of higher quality oil in Indonesia.