Genetic Assessment of Clonal Material of Casuarina equisetifolia

At the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore, pioneering work was carried out by establishing the clone bank, comprising 55 clonal selections, of Casuarina equisetifolia. Of these, 42 clones were planted for the evaluation in completely randomised design at the clonal testing area (CTA) of the Institute. The data recorded at 12 months of age for plant height, diameter at ground level (DGL), diameter at breast height (DBH) and mean bole volume (MBV) showed significant genetic variation among the clones. The broad sense heritability and genetic advance was calculated for all the parameters recorded. Co-heritability values for six combinations of traits was worked out, and are presented. The results on interim assessments of clonal performance suggest large yield improvement possibilities in this species.