Diversifying Provenance Research and Seed Production – Kamarere and Overseas Joint collections.

Several klinkii provenance trials at Bulolo failed due to drought/rodent/insect attack. One klinkii pine prevenance trial successfully established, had Bulolo hoop against Garaina Pindiu and Jimi valley Klinkii. I was then transferred to Lae and after Independence to East New Britain. Hence the trial was not measured. I do hope though that my successors consider that such trials are important. Hoop pine genetic resources are more numerous than for klinkii. Our first trial compared local Bulolo with eastern and southern highlands hoop. The southern highland hoop does not withstand drought. Provenances form Sattleberg range overlooking the Ramu, and Markham rivers performed well in dry conditions. The Bumbu provenance had early good form and growth All this work showed that there need to be more botanical work done on all the provenances of hoop and klinkii.

Diversifying Provenance Research and Seed Production – Kamarere and Overseas Joint collections.

Eucalyptus deglupta was included with Araucaria cunninghamii provenance seed collections for international Provence trials and where possible for broader applications to be used to establish seed production areas which I was able to do from Bulolo. In June 1975, a joint international team co-ordinated from CSIRO Canberra would make seed collections in Irian Jaya of the above two species. The party consisted of D J Boland FRI Canberra’ Dr John Davidson and N Howcroft PNG Research; Mr J Dali Forest research Institute Bogor; Mr S Hitagaoi Dept of forestry Jayapura Indonesia. Funding was paid form an FAO grant to FRI Canberra. By agreement, any seed collected was shared between Indonesia/PNG/Australia4 .

The E deglupta collections in PNG are detailed below. The hoop pine collections could only be made in the Arfak Range due to the difficulties in securing a flight into the Kebar Valley. Our parties met at Jayapura and after our credentials were delivered to the Governor, we proceed the following day to Biak. Due to difficulties in securing air transport, our party had to split into two teams. Ours was Mr S Hutagaol and me. On arriving at Manokwari we added several forestry staff. The main party to collect Kamarere was Boland, Davidson, and Dali. They flew via Nabiri to Enarotali where they enlisted carriers and climbers. The whole party looked at a 15-year-old planting of hoop and Agathis labillardii at Pariri plantation at Biak. We also saw more plantings at Amban plantation at Manokwari. All the hoop plantings were reputed to come from the Kebar Valley. They were visually different from the PNG provenances in leaf texture, crown shape and branch internode patterns. I was able to examine botanical collections of Araucaria beccarii Warb which came from near Anggi Lake. The difference here was the distinct top shaped cone core unlike PNG and the

4 Refer report Boland/Davidson/Howcroft (Eucalyptus Deglupta Blume and Araucaria Provenance seed collection in Irian Jaya Indonesia 3-17 June 1975. In Forest genetic resources information 6:3-15 FAO Rome 1977.