In situ and Ex situ Conservation of Commercial Tropical Trees - ITTO

407Seed (whenever available, mostly for 2 - 3 months during a fruiting season)Although the mast flowering season occurs once every 4-5 years, 10% ofdipterocarps may not follow that pattern, and these produce seeds during theinterval years (Smits 1990). The seed supply is usually collected and sownbefore germination.Wildlings (when seeds have already germinated in the forest floor)Another way to supply planting stock is by taking young, individual seedlingsfrom the forest floor. This method can be relied on for at least 2 years after afruiting season. The best wildlings are those with 2 – 5 leaves, including thefirst shoot, a maximum height not more than 50 cm, and collected from beneaththe crown of the mother trees. From one mother tree more than 15,000 wildlingscan be collected. Best collecting time is right after rain or whenever soil conditionsare completely wet. The young wildlings should be pulled carefully to avoidroot damage. Wildlings are the main planting stock resource for plantationsbecause the method is cheap and technically easy to implement by most fieldworkers.Cuttings (when seed and wildlings are not available)When the two previous methods cannot provide sufficient planting stock,vegetative propagation through rooting cuttings is often used to fill the shortage.Inhutani I has used this technique for a long time, and it has been used onoperational scale. There are two kinds of cuttings; shoot-cuttings and stemcuttings.Cutting production can be maximized if supported by a productivehedge orchard where from the cutting material can be continuously taken.And cuttings can be obtained all year when seeds and wildlings may not beavailable.Related to the tree improvement program, this technique is highly useful topropagate selected superior material. This “clonal forestry” approach needsgenetic resources from both ex situ and in situ conservation areas that mustbe established in the plantation areas as described below.Planting techniquesSuccessful plantations depend upon the quality of the planting material, theplanting method, and maintenance and management of the plantation. Theexperience of Inhutani I has been that environmental factors, such as light