Integrative Biology Journals

JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH ›› 2023, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (3): 781-792.DOI: 10.1007/s11676-022-01510-4

• Original Paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Growth performance and scale insect infestation of Shorea leprosula in a common garden experimental plot

Chin Hong Ng1,a, Kevin Kit Siong Ng1, Soon Leong Lee1, Rempei Suwa2, Chai Ting Lee1, Lee Hong Tnah1   

  1. 1 Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 52109, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
    2 Forestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 305-8686, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
  • Received:2022-03-07 Accepted:2022-05-15 Online:2024-10-16
  • Contact: Chin Hong Ng

Abstract:

Many tree planting programmes have long been initiated to increase forest cover to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Successful planting requires careful planning at the project level, including using suitable species with favourable traits. However, there is a paucity of improvement data for tropical tree species. An experimental common garden of Shorea leprosula was established to study traits related to growth performance which are key factors in planting success. Seedlings of S. leprosula were collected from nine geographical forest reserves. To study the effects of genetic variation, seedlings were planted in a common environment following a randomized complete block design. From performance data collected 2017‒2019, one population showed the highest coefficient for relative height growth, significantly higher than most of the other populations. Interestingly, this population from Beserah also exhibited the lowest coefficient for scale insect infestation. This study provides preliminary results on growth performance and susceptibility to scale insect infestation in S. leprosula and the first common garden experiment site conducted on dipterocarp species. It lays a foundation for future genome-wide studies.

Key words: Root collar diameter, Height, Scale insect, Relative growth rate, Dipterocarp