Genetic resource distribution of Grevillea robusta in South India: ecological and economic perspectives for sustainable development

Forest trees are vital in maintaining ecological, social, and economic sustenance. These perennials provide food, fodder, fuel, and fire besides helping in the complementary sharing of resources. Grevillea robusta is one such species that provides all sorts of benefits, from firewood to act as a shade tree, specifically to cash crops such as tea and coffee plantations. Economically, the canopy architecture has been a great boon to cash crops by enhancing higher productivity per unit area. It is important to know the ecological significance of this tree in plantation forestry, particularly in the higher elevations of the Eastern and Western Ghats in Southern India. Being an introduced/or exotic species from Australia, there is an urgent need to intervene scientifically to exploit genetic variations of the economically important traits for breeding high-yielding clones suitable for various industrial purposes.