Australian Tree Seed Centre Operations Manual
The Australian Tree Seed Centre (ATSC) maintains a collection of seed from Australian trees and shrubs and sets standards in methods of collection and documentation.
The complete text can be downloaded from our CSIRO Research Publications Repository.
This 159 page manual has been developed to document the procedures undertaken by the ATSC in seed handling from planning seed collections through to seed dispatch. It is specifically targeted at standardising procedures for staff working at the Centre as well as providing information to others involved in handling tree seed with a focus on research collections of Australian species.
Seed collectors must apply sound practical genetic principles in their choice of seed trees if the full potential of the crop is to be realised. Following seed harvest, procedures must be in place to optimise the physical quality of the seed through retention of viability.
Seed handling and propagation of Papua New Guinea's tree species
This 89 page booklet, published in 2004, was prepared as part of a research project entitled ‘Domestication of Papua New Guinea’s Indigenous Forest Species’.
The complete text can be downloaded from our CSIRO Research Publications Repository.
The booklet is divided into six main sections. The first four sections deal with seed collection, processing and storage, and provide the reader with background information on how to collect seed and process it prior to sowing or storage. Information is also presented on the behaviour of seed in storage, and how to apply this knowledge to determine the most appropriate methods of storing seed of PNG species. Section 5 provides brief information on nursery techniques for raising seedlings and techniques for striking cuttings. Section 6 provides information on 27 PNG tree species, with a focus on seed handling and propagation.
Tree Nursery Manual for Namibia
This manual, published in 1998, provides guidelines for planning a nursery and for scheduling operations.
The complete text can be downloaded from our CSIRO Research Publications Repository.
The chapters progress through the various aspects of nursery operations which require careful consideration and action in order to produce plants of high quality. It covers both the raising of plants from seed and using vegetative propagation methods. Wherever possible, operations are summarised in simple step-by-step instructions. The final chapter is devoted to the keeping of nursery records, which are an essential tool for the nursery manager in the future planning and control of nursery operations.
From Seed to Trial establishment: a handbook giving practical guidelines in nursery practice and the establishment of simple species and/ or provenance trials
This 125 page handbook has been written to provide some practical advice on the raising of Australian tree species (chiefly eucalypts, acacias, casuarinas and melaleucas), and how to design and establish simple species and/or provenance trials ahead of establishing plantations.
The complete text can be downloaded from our CSIRO Research Publications Repository.
Establishing and maintaining plantations is a major investment and therefore, the choice of which species to grow is very important. There can be a great range of genetic variation within a single species with some provenances (populations from particular geographic areas) growing much faster than others.
It is important to conduct trials on the particular soil type and climate in which the plantations are to be established.