Black Wattle (Acacia mangium Willd.): Current Issues, Challenges and Opportunities for Advanced-Generation Breeding Strategy
摘要
The industrial forest plantation program in Indonesia has introduced black wattle (Acacia mangium Willd.). as a major species due to its fast growth, adaptability to various sites and suitability for industries such as pulp and paper, sawn timber, and construction. Early-generation breeding has successfully improved growth, stem form, and wood properties. However, new challenges are facing the A. mangium plantation due to pest and disease attacks, which have caused very serious problems in the forest plantation. It caused the species to stop being planted by most plantation companies in Indonesia. Plant breeding efforts could be the main solution for overcoming the problems by producing disease-tolerant and resistant planting stocks. Continuing the past breeding strategy of A. mangium is also facing other problems related to the limited genetic resources tolerant and resistant to disease. In addition, the past breeding strategy seems not to be effectively re-implemented in successive advanced-generation breeding to improve the new target traits. However, there are still some opportunities for keeping the potential and regaining A. mangium as the main species for plantations in the future. Re-designing the breeding strategy and the biotechnology technique approach is also another opportunity to support advanced-generation breeding. A conservative breeding strategy supported by biotechnology techniques would become the main component in the advanced-generation breeding of A. mangium. This chapter provides an overview of the current status, challenges, and opportunities for advanced-generation breeding of A. mangium incorporating biotechnology for fiber production from industrial plantations in Indonesia.