Diversification Nursery Operations/Seed Supplies

pollen crop and a crown count of cones large enough to be ready for the current year’s collection and the second-year collections. Maturation of individual cone crops are influenced by their location. The lower altitude stands mature first. The maturing starts in late September to early November. Seed collection was the responsibility of Mr John Thompson. The processing and seed storage were the responsibility of Mr Ted Collis. The head of the tree climbers and seed collectors was Mr Cedric Wemin and Mr Celsus Levo. In charge of the nursery was Mr Ahoba Lake and helping at the seed store. The hoop pine was stored in two of the four large cool rooms of the seed shed at 12-degree C. The klinkii was found to be markedly short lived under high temperatures. it lost viability very rapidly at a rate of 10 % every week for the first four weeks after which the loss accelerated more. Based on the research studies of the silvicultural techniques of klinkii carried out by Joe Havel in the 1950’s; it was recommended that conditions for successful prolonged storage periods were control of temperature, moisture content of seed and fungal activity. Moist cold storage required the seed be dried at a specific moisture content and then stored in airtight tins. This included wet towel and blotting paper at the bottom and at the top of the seed before sealing the lid. This was then stored at 38 degrees F. Temperature fluctuations with stored klinkii seed causes loss of viability. When a seed tin is opened it must be sown the same day (Havel 1955). 3 Klinkii seed dispatched for overseas orders were always difficult because of viability. Freshly collected sed had to be sent and when received sown as soon as possible but even then, viability was low.

Diversification of Araucaria Nursery Operations and Seed Supplies. Forest Headquarters Port Moresby was the export and import hub of all tree seed and even vegetation propagation material (e.g., Tectona; Eucalyptus; Pinus). It had its own seed store for items to be held in transit and for quarantine inspections and for dispatch to outlying centres. Seed records were maintained in Port Moresby. • Silviculture research required a section of the Bulolo nursery for species other than just Araucaria. Pinus research work included the introduction of mycorrhiza. Leguminous species for introduction of rhizobia. • Nursery germination beds for hoop and klinkii were adjacent to the seed store above the tubing sheds • The araucaria standout beds were first provided with adjustable wooden slat shade and later with sarlon shade cloth • The provenance work section area included hoop wildings form southern highlands; pimga and erave hoop; Morobe Bumbu and Maiama Hoop; eastern highlands; Okapa Hoop; central provenance Woitape Hoop and a specimen from Fergusson Island. Klinkii from Huon Peninsula; New Caledonia Hoop pine; (plantings at Bulolo Golf Course A luxurians). The provenance plantings of hoop pine only produced female flowers in my time, but we collected viable seed from these Since the much more sexually mature adjacent local hoop pine plantations had been producing good crops of mal flowers, we assumed that our younger provenances of hoop pine were hybridised

3 Refer PNG Forestry Silviculture Techniques Bulletin No 1 25