STUDIES ON THE DROUGHT TOLERANCE OF EUCALYPTUS AT SEEDLING STAGE

Abstract

The following techniques were evaluated in the screening of seedlings for drought tolerance in species of Eucalyptus: (i) stress induction at seedling stage, and (ii) chlorophyll stability index (CSI). There was no correspondence between these parameters and the suitability index derived from field performance. Of the six species evaluated (E. tereticornis, E. microtheca, E. camaldulensis, E. drepanophyUa, E. exserta and E. urophylla), E. camaldulensis performed best in field testing. However, CSI was maximum in E.urophylla while resistance to moisture stress at seedling stage was highest in E. drepanophylla and E. microtheca. Both techniques are thus unsuitable for screening drought tolerance in the genus.