Assessing the superiority of Casuarina equisetifolia L. and Casuarina junghuhniana clones for dendroenergy under semi-arid condition

Nayak  Archana; Ramesh Karuppanan Ramasamy; Parthiban Kalappan Thangamuthu; Devanand Pachanoor Subbain; Kumar Perumal; Selvan Thiru; Sivaprakash Marimuthu; Sivakumar Balaiyan; Buddhi Bhuvaneswari Sankaran Srivara; Patil Pragati; Riyaz Arsha; Rajakumar Ashick Rajah

doi:10.14719/pst.6227

Authors

Nayak Archana Department of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0370-5660
Ramesh Karuppanan Ramasamy Department of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3328-492X
Parthiban Kalappan Thangamuthu Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9291-6424
Devanand Pachanoor Subbain Department of Forest Biology and Tree Improvement, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1057-5046
Kumar Perumal Department of Forestry, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Paiyur – 635 112, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-6815
Selvan Thiru Department of Forestry and Biodiversity, Tripura University, Agartala – 799 022, Tripura, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6290-4799
Sivaprakash Marimuthu Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam- 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9187-7590
Sivakumar Balaiyan Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam- 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8103-6333
Buddhi Bhuvaneswari Sankaran Srivara Department of Basic and Social Sciences, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5187-415X
Patil Pragati Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4295-4092
Riyaz Arsha Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur – 680 656, Kerela, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5918-6675
Rajakumar Ashick Rajah Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641 301, Tamil Nadu, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8340-494X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.6227

Keywords:

associations studies, casuarina, diversity analysis, GCV, heritability, PCV

Abstract

This study assessed genetic variation and heritability in 13 clones of casuarina species for growth attributes. The experiment, conducted in Coimbatore, India, used a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Biometric parameters, including plant height, collar diameter, sturdiness quotient and volume index, were measured 2, 4 and 6 months after planting (MAP). We observed significant variations among the clones for all traits. Clone E9B consistently outperformed others across growth stages, particularly in plant height, collar diameter and volume index. Conversely, clones CE04 and CE 06 generally underperformed. Genetic variability analysis revealed a high PCV and GCV for the volume index, indicating good potential for selection and improvement. Plant height exhibited exceptionally high heritability (99.4 %), suggesting minimal environmental influence. Association studies showed strong positive correlations between plant height, basal diameter and volume index at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path analysis identified basal diameter as having the highest direct positive effect on volume index. Diversity analysis clustered the clones into three groups, with plant height contributing 58.97 % to genetic divergence. These findings highlight substantial genetic variability among the studied casuarina clones for key growth traits. The superior performance of E9B across multiple attributes suggests its potential value for breeding programs or direct use in plantations. High heritability of plant height and strong correlation between growth traits indicate promising prospects for genetic improvement through selection. This research provides valuable insights for casuarina breeding and selection programs to develop improved varieties for agroforestry and plantation forestry applications.

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