multipurpose tree species research for small farms: strategies ... - part

Tree improvemqnt efforts by forest geneticists
have largely focused on industrial use of
plantation species using genetic resources from
natural populations or existing plantations. At
the same time, farmers are often plant breeders
themselves, selecting planting materials from
desirable mother plants. Multipurpose tree
species (MPTS) have in some cases been
intensively selected by farmers for several
generations. The gene pool represented by
these selections is not well represented in
current breedin&efforts but holds promise for
rapid genetic gains for commonly used MPTS.
This paper outlines a methodology for forest
geneticists to work with farmer/technicians who
are enlisted as "barefoot tree breeders" to
identify, collect and evaluate MPTS germplasm
from on-farm seed sources.
Background
Tree improvement has largely focused on the
improvement of trees for industrial purposes.
Consumers and industry have demanded
fast-oig, straight trees with few defects.
While this has resulted in the improvement of a
variety of conifers and a few,tropical
hardwoods, there are few cases of tree
improvement of MPTS for small-scale farmers
(Burley 1987). It is highly probable that the
attention of most tree breeders will remain
focused on the demand for improved plantation
species for industrial use.
Two of the resources needed to expand tree
improvement are human resources and material
support (Palmberg 1989). This paper focuses
on the opportunity and an approach to create a
new cadre of tree improvement workers to focus
on the needs of small-scale farmers for
improved MPTS. There is tremendous
potential for community-based barefoot tree
Barefoot Tree Breeders:
The Use of FarmResources for
Multipurpose Tree Species Improvement
Kenneth G. MacDicken
Suree Bhumibhamon
Winrock International
Bangkok, Thailand
Faculy ofForestry, Kasetsait University
Bangkok, Tiland
149
breeders who practice simple selection and
breeding of locally available or popular tree
species for agroforestry in cooperation with
trained forest geneticists.
The Farmeras Plant Breeder
Farmers have selected and domesticated
plant and animal species for thousands of years.
Many of the varieties used in the breeding
programs of international agricultural research
centers are varieties which have been selected
and maintained by farmers (Rhoades 1989). In
Thailand, most of the well-known fruit tree
varieties of species such as tamarind, mango
and durian are products of selection by farmers,
not the improvements of agricultural scientists.
The apparent reasons for this farmer-driven
selection process include the presence of
adequate incentives for improvement. These
incentives are often economic incentives of
better market prices for higher quality fruit, or
greater income from increased crop yields. In
the case of Thailand, tax incentives were
provided under the rule of King Chulalongkorn
nearly one hundred ye-irs ago for those who
produced higher quality fruit, thus encouraging
a practice ofimprovement which continues to
the present. Farmers in Nakorn Srithamarat
and Trang Provinces select superior trees of
Azadirachta excelsa in homegarden production
systems for higher value furniture wood.
The ability to recognize desirable plant traits
has also been demonstrated. Cereals, staple
crops and fruit trees have commonly been
selected by farmers who can readily recogeize
traits such as taste, yield, case of management,
etc. For fruit trees it is easy to i6-ntify trees
which produce quantities of tasty fruits. The
high quality Thai rambutan cultivar Rong Rean
(school) originated from a single tree in a