Bulolo Pinus Seed Production Areas & First Controlled Pollinations

• Site cleared using calaboose labour and one policeman provided by ADC Nigel Van Ruth. (Some of the prisoners were from the earlier land dispute over the area where 5 people killed • On clearing the area many remains of houses found in the shape of haus Enga; many sweet potato mounds surrounded by a large and deep defence ditch • 3 weeks surveying seedling positions • Flew Laiagam to Goroka by mission aviation aircraft to finalise seedling movement with Alan Ross. • Seedlings airlifted by DC3 to Wabag. • Next to seedling seed orchard a trial of Eucalyptus and Pinus. A pig fence needed. • After a long stay I made it home by Christmas eve with a stop at the Mt Hagen Chemist for a toy for my daughter and a copper pot for her mother. After leaving problems arose: • ADC took his tractor back • Labour contracted to collect cones started lopping branches hence reducing cone production • When Enga established as a separate province, land disputes over seed production area

Bulolo Pinus Seed Production Areas & First Controlled Pollinations

A Pioneer Pinus merkusii work

The story of making PNG more independent with its seed production to meet its requirements, particularly with Pinus and other species would be incomplete without the inclusion of Bulolo activities.

The first Pinus species provenance trial – Pinus merkusii January 1970. Seed from Sumatra; Java; Thailand; CFI Oxford. Additional imports from Vietnam and the Philippines. • The 1959 introduction to Bulolo had several trees of reasonable form. They showed no Boron deficiency. • It was flowering; fruiting and producing viable seed around 7 years. • The Queensland variety tapanuli had straight form. • Approval given to sect; graft; control pollinate; hybridise studies • The first cross was our Atjeh variety with the one surviving Queensland Tapanuli clone which produced excellent progeny • Successful use of and exchange of pollens with Thailand where we were able to reciprocate with hybrid seed back to the Royal Thai Danish Pine project in Chieng Mai Thailand • Overall, a significant project for staff capacity building; imparting tree breeding technology to collect and store pollen; make and use homemade pollination bags to isolate flowers before they became receptive to pollen; using syringe needles and rubber puffers to deliver pollen to isolated flowers • Main staff William Kaumara; Celsus Levo; Koko Gumi; Robert John; Lawrence Jarua; Clement Sevese; John Paul • Later outcomes included • 1 recognising the continental provenances as a species separate from P Merkusii – now recognised as P latterii Manson • 2 staff witnessing experimental rotary peeling of things form Hybrids trail at Bulolo Plymill for conversion to chop sticks and match boxes