Dipterocarp species can now be cloned
June 6, 2004 | 12:00am
It is now possible to clone dipterocarp tree species.
A process called non-mist clonal multiplication technique has been developed by the Los Baños-based Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) headed by Director Celso P. Diaz.
Over the past decade, ERDB researchers led by Dr. Rafael Cadiz have been addressing the challenge of enrichment planting of dipterocarps in inadequately stocked residual forests.
Dipterocarps are forest tree species known for their large timber and superior wood quality. Hard to regenerate naturally, they are nevertheless regarded as the most economically important groups of timber species.
"They are, in fact, tagged as the ‘Philippine mahogany’, a trade name in the international market," ERDB said.
Notwithstanding this, inherent drawbacks have been affecting the propagation of dipterocarps.
The species have erratic fruiting and short seed viability. They start flowering at 17-18 years old and repeat at a two to three-year interval. Their seeds remain viable only for two to three days after collection.
Along these lines, ERDB has developed the non-mist (less watering) clonal multiplication technique, which promises to be an alternative way of mass-producing high quality dipterocarps.
"Cloning is a propagation method that allows us to select the best trees and replicate them, with their superior or desired characteristics intact," explained Enrique Crizaldo, an ERDB project leader.
A clone is a vegetative copy of an original or mother/parent plant.
Based on the studies, the non-mist method is practical to use, especially in the Philippines where water supply is limited in most of the reforestation sites. It is also more economical – the average operational cost of producing a clone is estimated at P8.
Director Diaz told this writer that some dipterocarp species are now recommended for mass propagation, among them white lauan, apitong, tanguile, guijo, almon, mayapis, palosapis, bagtikan, gisek-gisek, dalingdingan, saplungan, dagang, and hagakhak. – Rudy A. Fernandez
A process called non-mist clonal multiplication technique has been developed by the Los Baños-based Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) headed by Director Celso P. Diaz.
Over the past decade, ERDB researchers led by Dr. Rafael Cadiz have been addressing the challenge of enrichment planting of dipterocarps in inadequately stocked residual forests.
Dipterocarps are forest tree species known for their large timber and superior wood quality. Hard to regenerate naturally, they are nevertheless regarded as the most economically important groups of timber species.
"They are, in fact, tagged as the ‘Philippine mahogany’, a trade name in the international market," ERDB said.
Notwithstanding this, inherent drawbacks have been affecting the propagation of dipterocarps.
The species have erratic fruiting and short seed viability. They start flowering at 17-18 years old and repeat at a two to three-year interval. Their seeds remain viable only for two to three days after collection.
Along these lines, ERDB has developed the non-mist (less watering) clonal multiplication technique, which promises to be an alternative way of mass-producing high quality dipterocarps.
"Cloning is a propagation method that allows us to select the best trees and replicate them, with their superior or desired characteristics intact," explained Enrique Crizaldo, an ERDB project leader.
A clone is a vegetative copy of an original or mother/parent plant.
Based on the studies, the non-mist method is practical to use, especially in the Philippines where water supply is limited in most of the reforestation sites. It is also more economical – the average operational cost of producing a clone is estimated at P8.
Director Diaz told this writer that some dipterocarp species are now recommended for mass propagation, among them white lauan, apitong, tanguile, guijo, almon, mayapis, palosapis, bagtikan, gisek-gisek, dalingdingan, saplungan, dagang, and hagakhak. – Rudy A. Fernandez
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