Selection of son tra clones in North West Vietnam

Son tra (Docynia indica) is an indigenous tree species widely distributed at high elevations in northern Vietnam. Its fruit is traditionally used as a fruit and for making wine, providing a source of income for farmers. Selection of superior planting material can enhance its market potential and benefit growers, processors and consumers. The Agroforestry for Livelihood Improvement (AFLI) project implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Forest Science Centre for Northwestern Vietnam (FSCN) is therefore promoting son tra domestication in Dien Bien, Son La and Yen Bai provinces of North West and North Central eco-region of Vietnam. Domestication activities involved evaluation, selection and testing of candidate trees to identify genotypes that could be propagated as clones to give son tra plantations with improved market potential. Key informant interviews drawn from various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, local traders and farmers were used to identify natural and plantation son tra populations where screening was carried out. Over 2,400 trees were screened in 13 selected locations. Screening involved a sequence of selection processes, first identifying 600 trees with superior fruit yield, then selecting 150 of these with superior fruit appearance, followed by taste trials to identify 10 candidate plus trees with high fruit yield, superior fruit morphology, fruit peeling characteristics and superior taste for fresh fruit consumption and 20 candidate plus trees with high yield, superior fruit morphology and suitable taste for wine production. The 30 selected trees were grafted onto seedling rootstocks. All selections grafted well, with over 90% grafting success. Grafts of the selected genotypes were then established in clonal field tests to evaluate their performance and adaptability to local growing conditions.

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5716/WP16038.PDF

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