GENETIC-VARIABILITY IN 14 PROVENANCES OF EUCALYPTUS SPECIES IN HAWAII

Eucalyptus spp. are among the most promising exotic tropical hardwoods under field testing for biomass crop production in Hawaii. A first st ep in establishing a genetically based tree improvement program aimed at increasing biomass yield, coppice regrowth, and other desirable tra its for short rotation intensive culture of Eucalyptus spp. on potenti al biomass plantations is to determine the extent of genetic variabili ty in the locally available stock of germplasm. This study presents an evaluation of allozyme variability revealed through gel electrophores is in fourteen provenances involving five species of Eucalyptus introd uced previously in Hawaii. The high levels of polymorphism and heteroz ygosity observed in our sample indicate that this initial stock of ger mplasm represents a suitable base for further genetic improvement. Thi s information is critically important for developing and maintaining e nvironmentally and economically sustainable biomass plantations for lo ng-term success featuring stands which are not genetically vulnerable.