Collaboration for Agriculture & Rural Development: Field evaluation and advanced vegetative mass-propagation technology for scaling up high-value plantations of Pinus caribaea and related hybrids in Vietnam - Milestone 7 " pot

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction………..3 2.0 Hedge area establishment………3 2.1 Ba Vi Cam Quy ………..4 2.2 Phu Ninh FRC ………6 2.3 Dalat Cam Ly ………..7 3.0 Pilot nurseries, collecting and set

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

Collaboration for Agriculture & Rural Development

Project 033/05 VIE

Field evaluation and advanced vegetative mass-propagation technology for scaling

up high-value plantations of Pinus caribaea and related hybrids in Vietnam

Milestone 7:

Output 2.3: Hedge and containerised nurseries

Deliverables: Means of verification for payment

• Three pilot scale hedge and containerised nurseries operational and capable of producing

at least 30,000 high quality plants/year

Report Title:

Progress in establishing Pinus hedge areas and containerised

nurseries at three pilot sites in Vietnam

March 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction……… 3

2.0 Hedge area establishment………3

2.1 Ba Vi (Cam Quy) ……… 4

2.2 Phu Ninh (FRC) ………6

2.3 Dalat (Cam Ly) ……… 7

3.0 Pilot nurseries, collecting and setting cuttings……… 7

3.1 Ba Vi Nursery……… 7

3.2 FRC Nursery and cuttings trials, Phu Ninh……… 9

3.3 Dalat Nursery………10

4.0 Conclusions……….10

5.0 Contacts……… 10

List of Tables

1 Description of pilot Pinus hedge areas established in Vietnam under CARD

Project 033/05 VIE

3

2 Taxa used to establish initial Pinus hedges at 3 pilot hedge sites in Vietnam 4

3 Summary of original Ba Vi hedges still alive after 2nd and 3rd shoot harvest 5

4 Summary of original FRC hedges still alive as at November 2007 6

5 Effect of cutting technique on survival rate at 6 months after setting, at Ba Vi 8

6 Effect of hormone on cutting survival 6 months after setting at Ba Vi 8

7

Performance of shoots collected and set at FRC, Phu Ninh for different pine

varieties

9

8 History of shoot collection and setting at Cam Ly, Dalat 10

9 Rooting percentage 5 months after setting for different potting mixes at Cam

Ly, Dalat

10

List of Appendices

Title

A Ba Vi hedge area establishment

B Phu Ninh hedge area establishment

C Dalat hedge area establishment

D Collecting and setting cuttings, Ba Vi

E Collecting and setting cuttings, Phu Ninh

F Collecting and setting cuttings, Dalat

1.0 INTRODUCTION

CARD Project 033/VIE seeks to review existing experience with and performance of several

tropical conifer species in Vietnam, particularly Caribbean Pine, and to establish further trials of

improved genetic material, including hybrids

The project will also provide capacity building for forest research institutions relating to Pinus

tree improvement and mass propagation systems via training in Queensland and Vietnam,

development of small-scale hedge and nursery infrastructure, and a study tour to Australia,

involving forest managers and researchers

Finally, the project will build awareness among large and small-scale forest growers including

ethnic minorities, through the establishment of collaborative demonstration plantings in priority

regions for Pinus plantation expansion in Vietnam, supported by appropriate training

This report relates to Output 2.3 of the Project relating to the establishment and operation of

three pilot scale hedge and containerised nurseries for the production of pine cuttings

2.0 HEDGE AREA ESTABLISHMENT

Following initial training in Queensland in May 2006, project partners established three pilot

hedge areas (Table 1) using seedlings raised from various Queensland and Vietnamese sourced

seed as detailed in Table 2 Some hedge beds were covered with Queensland supplied black

weed mat, while others were either covered with locally sourced blue weed mat or straw The

overall design of the hedge areas was similar to that used in Queensland, however the hedges

were planted more densely due to space limitations and the short project timeframes in an effort

to maximise initial production of shoots

Table 1: Description of pilot Pinus hedge areas established in Vietnam under CARD Project

033/05 VIE

Province Ha Tay Phu Tho Lam Dong

Locality Cam Quy, Ba Vi Phu Ninh Cam Ly, Dalat

Agency Research Centre for

Forest Tree Improvement

Forest Research Centre, part of Vinapaco

Lam Dong Forest Research Centre, FSIV

Latitude 21° 07’N 21° 29’ 46’’N 11° 38’ 15’’N

Longitude 105° 26’E 105° 27’ 5’’E 108° 15’53’’E

Elevation

(m)

50 75 1,500

Annual

Rainfall

Soil Poor soil, heavy clay at

50cm

Yellow medium clay Deep, red, well-drained

Established August 2006 December 2006 June 2006

Table 2: Taxa used to establish initial Pinus hedges at 3 pilot hedge sites in Vietnam

Site 1 Site 2 Site 3

Ba Vi

FRC

Phu Ninh

Cam Ly

Dalat

Taxa initially planted x seed source Number of hedges initially planted

P caribaea var hondurensis (PCH) – non select – Dai

Lai

591 454 665

P caribaea var hondurensis (PCH) –select – elite seed

from 11 plus trees, Dai Lai Seed Production Area (SPA)

522 280 672

P caribaea var hondurensis (PCH) – non select –

Queensland

591 314 1,065

P elliottii var elliottii x PCH = PEE x PCH F2 hybrid -

Queensland

159 85 125

PCH x P caribaea var caribaea (PCH x PCC) –

Queensland

186 142 218

TOTAL INITIAL HEDGES PLANTED 2,059 1,559 2,745

Comments on each of the three pilot hedge areas follow

2.1 Ba Vi (Cam Quy)

Attachment A is a collection of images from the Ba Vi hedge area at different stages

Over 2,000 seedlings were planted as hedges made up of 5 taxa as shown in Table 2 Hedges

were arranged in 14 separate beds, 7 using the black “Queensland” weed mat and 7 using locally

sourced blue plastic weed mat

Images A1 to A4, (November 2006, 3 months after planting), show that initial survival and

growth was quite good with only a few losses By the time that hedge management and nursery

training was conducted in May 2007 (age 9 months) the hedges were healthy, well-established

and ready for shoot harvesting as indicated in images A5 to A7

During July 2007 (11 months from planting) there was wide spread and rapid death of many

hedges, starting with (but not confined to) those established using the blue weed mat Refer

images A8 to A13

Table 3 shows for each hedge taxon the number and percent of hedge plants still alive after the

second shoot harvest (September 2007) and third shoot harvest (November 2007)

Only 6 percent of original hedges were alive after the second shoot harvest and this had reduced

to 4 percent by November 2007, after the third shoot harvest The PEE x PCH F2 hybrid hedges

from Queensland survived much better than all the other taxon with 42 percent still alive after

the third shoot harvest Images A14 to A17 show the state of the hedges as at November 2007,

including a few beginning to recover and some replanted

Table 3: Summary of original Ba Vi hedges still alive after 2 and 3 shoot harvest

Taxon Original

hedges

Number alive after

2 nd cut (9/07)

% Alive (9/07)

Number alive after

3 rd cut (11/07)

% Alive (11/07)

PEE x PCH

PCH x PCC

PCH (Qld)

PCH – Dai

PCH – Dai

Lai (non

select)

TOTAL 2,049 117 6% 73 4%

The rapid and widespread death of hedges at Ba Vi has not been experienced in Queensland

This event was a surprise and disappointment for all of those who had done such a good job in

setting up the pilot facility, which looked very healthy only a couple of months earlier

Discussions with local staff revealed that temperatures were very high during June and July

2007 It is believed that the high temperatures, (up to 41 degrees Celsius recorded under the blue weed mat and slightly less under the black weed mat) were primarily responsible for the death of the hedges The root systems, especially in the moist clay soil, were probably “cooked”,

explaining the rapid death of the hedges

As a result of this experience, the following actions are recommended for future hedge

management at Ba Vi:

Ba Vi Hedge recommendations

1 Remove (and do not replace) the weed mat before re-establishing any hedges

2 Mix additional organic matter and sand into the hedge beds to reduce the clay

content and improve drainage before re-planting hedges

3 Erect removable (sliding) high shade over the hedge area so that the hedge

area is shaded during periods of extreme summer heat

4 Re-establish hedges (including P caribaea var bahamensis – PCB and

perhaps PCH x PCB) as soon as possible

5 Avoid trimming back hedges and harvesting shoots during the peak of the hot

and humid summer months to reduce the risk of pest and disease attack

2.2 Phu Ninh (FRC)

Attachment B is a collection of images from the Phu Ninh hedge area at different stages

1,559 seedlings made up of 6 taxa were planted as hedges as shown in Table 2 Hedges were

arranged in 28 separate beds; 14 using the black “Queensland” weed mat and 14 lightly covered with straw

Images B1 to B9 (May 2007, 5 months after planting) show that initial survival and growth was

quite good with only a few losses, although some hedge plants were taller than desired at time of planting

Image B10 (August 2007) shows that quite a few hedges have died and many look an unhealthy

yellow This is around the same time that most of the hedges at Ba Vi died

Images B11 to B19, (November 2007, 11 months after original hedge establishment) show

widespread death for most hedge varieties apart from PEE x PCH F2 hybrid (Queensland) and Masson pine Many hedges have been re-planted in the black weed mat area and the original 14 hedge beds covered with straw have been converted to a Eucalypt hedge area Including refills, there were 454 hedge plants in November 2007, including 31 percent PEE x PCH F2 hybrids Many of the original hedges also display “brown needle”, which may be due to pathogen, although local staff could not confirm the identity of the suspected agent

Table 4 shows for each variety the number and percent of original plants still alive as at

November 2007 On average, only 9 percent of original hedges were alive by November 2007

As in Ba Vi, the PEE x PCH F2 hybrid hedges from Queensland seed (42 %) survived much better than all the other varieties Survival of Masson pine hedges (24 %) was reasonable and much better than any of the PCH varieties (2-3 %)

Table 4: Summary of original FRC hedges still alive as at November 2007

Variety Original

hedges

Number Alive (11/07)

% Alive (11/07)

PCH – Dai Lai (non-

select)

454 13

3%

It is likely that the hedges at FRC, Phu Ninh died from similar causes as those at Ba Vi, although

it is surprising that the hedge beds covered by straw (not black weed mat) also suffered

significant mortality The hot and humid weather during the peak of summer may be a high risk period for attack by pests and diseases, and the chances of fungal attack are probably high shortly after shoot harvest during these high-risk periods

The recommendations for the Ba Vi hedge site apply equally to the FRC site at Phu Ninh, although it is not recommended that any PCB hedges be established at FRC

2.3 Dalat (Cam Ly)

Attachment C is a collection of images from the Dalat hedge area at different stages

2,745 hedges were planted from seedlings made up of 5 taxa as shown in Table 2 Hedges were

established using the black “Queensland” weed mat and also locally sourced blue weed mat Unlike the other two sites (3 rows per hedge bed on raised beds), the hedges at Dalat were planted as 5 rows per hedge bed and the beds were not raised As well, a circle about 20 cm diameter was “melted” into the weed mat using a tin holding hot coals to create a clear planting spot for each hedge plant This may have also reduced heat build up around the base of the hedges

The better quality, well-drained soil combined with the much cooler climate (Dalat is located at approximately 1,500m elevation) has probably assisted the greatly improved performance of the hedges at Dalat compared to the other two sites

Images C1 to C3 (November 2006, 4 months after planting) show the excellent survival and

growth of the initial planting with very few losses

Images C4 to C11 (May 2007, 10 months after planting) show the excellent survival and growth

of the initial planting with only a few losses It was also clear by this stage that the blue weed mat was degrading very quickly

Images C12 to C15, (December 2007, 17 months after original hedge establishment) show that

the hedges have been recently trimmed back and, while some deaths are evident, survival

continues to be quite good

3.0 PILOT NURSERIES, COLLECTING AND SETTING CUTTINGS

In this section of the report, results and experience in collecting and setting cuttings is presented for each of the three pilot nursery areas

3.1 Ba Vi Nursery

Attachment D shows various images relating to the Ba Vi pilot nursery including nursery

infrastructure, the collection of shoots from hedges, setting cuttings and progress of set cuttings

Images D1 and D2 (November 2006) show the shade house constructed as part of the CARD

project

Images D3 to D11, taken during the nursery training session in May 2007, show the collection

and setting of shoots, the trimming back of hedges after shoot collection and developing root systems from the initial setting

Images D12 to D16 show the development of set shoots during the most recent joint inspection

in November 2007

A range of trial treatments to improve the strike rate of rooted cuttings have been evaluated at Ba

Vi There have been previous attempts at raising pine cuttings in Vietnam A trial was

established comparing the performance of “Vietnamese” style cuttings with “Queensland” style cuttings which are in general more juvenile in appearance and are based on the selection criteria

outlined during the training courses held in Queensland and Vietnam Table 5 shows results for the different styles of cuttings for the different pine varieties

Table 5: Effect of cutting technique on survival rate at 6 months after setting, at Ba Vi

Percent set shoots still alive for each style of cutting

Variety Shoots set per

technique

Vietnam style Queensland style

PCH (Qld) – non

select

PCH Dai Lai –

non-select

The results indicate that the “Queensland” style cutting is around 3 times more effective

compared to the Vietnamese cutting (average 32 % across all varieties compared to 11 %) When hedge seed source is compared, the Queensland varieties (PEE x PCH, PCH x PCC and PCH-Qld) averaged 60 % survival compared to the two PCH – Dai Lai varieties (13 %)

When hedge survival (see Table 3) and shoot survival (Table 5) are considered jointly, the

Queensland PEE x PCH F2 hybrid hedges combined with shoot collection using the Queensland technique clearly produced the best results The performance to age 10 years of PEE x PCH F2 hybrids in field trials near Ba Vi has (reported separately under milestone 8 of this CARD project) has also been impressive compared to other varieties, providing further confidence regarding the suitability of PEE x PCH F2 hybrids in this part of northern Vietnam

In another trial, the effect of hormone (1.0 % IBA) on cuttings survival was evaluated for three

different pine varieties The results (Table 6) are similar for both treatments and do not support

the need to apply hormones to improve cutting survival This result is similar to experience in Queensland with hybrid pines As in the previous experiment, the survival of the Queensland PEE x PCH F2 hybrid cuttings is much better than the local PCH

Table 6: Effect of hormone on cutting survival 6 months after setting at Ba Vi

Number alive (%) Variety Number of shoots set

TOTAL 400 216 (54%) 206 (52%)

During an inspection of the Ba Vi nursery in November 2007 (Images D13 to D17) it was

discovered that the potting mix was too wet and was also holding too much water A much

reduced watering regime was suggested As well, once cuttings have rooted, it is important that they are transferred to a full sun position

3.2 FRC Nursery and cuttings trials, Phu Ninh

Attachment E shows various images for the setting of cuttings collected and raised at FRC, Phu

Ninh

Images E1 to E9 were taken in May 2007, one year after the Queensland training sessions and

prior to the training in Vietnam The health of the cuttings is generally quite good However,

after initial rooting it is necessary to move the cuttings into the full sun for best development

Following a recommendation from the May 2007 visit, FRC staff constructed a small,

well-drained area in the full sun next to the shade house to promote further development of cuttings after they had started to root

Images E10 to E17 (November 2007) show the area in full sun for the cuttings as well as results

from various treatments in different containers for different varieties

To date, shoots have been collected and set on three occasions Table 7 presents a summary of

the average number of shoots collected per hedge as well as the total number of shoots set in

containers and their survival to November 2007 The survival rate for the two hybrid varieties and the PCH (Dai Lai –select) is quite encouraging On the other hand, the large difference

between the PCH (Dai Lai – select) (62%) and the other two PCH varieties (18% average) is

difficult to explain

Table 7: Performance of shoots collected and set at FRC, Phu Ninh for different pine varieties Variety Shoots

collected/hedge (Average of 3 settings)

Number of shoots collected and set

Number of cuttings still alive

Percent of containerised cuttings still alive

PEE x PCH

(Qld)

17.44 445 342 77%

PCH x PCC

(Qld)

19.6 200 135 68%

PCH Dai Lai -

select

28.6 360 223 62%

PCH Dai Lai –

non-select

26.5 540 91 17%

PCH (Qld) – non

select

3.3 Dalat Nursery

Attachment F shows various images for the setting of cuttings collected and raised at Dalat

Images F1 to F4 (November 2006) show results from the initial setting As with the other pilot

nurseries, the cuttings have been receiving too much water and have not been moved into full sun after initial root formation They should also not be placed directly on the ground since good air circulation around the root systems is important for their development

Images F5 to F8 (May 2007) highlight the shoot harvesting from hedges at Cam Ly and setting

undertaken during the training session at Dalat

Images F9 to F12 (December 2007) demonstrate progress with cuttings set to date

To date, most hedges are still alive Shoots have been collected and set on three occasions as

indicated in Table 8 As well, four different potting mixes have been trialled to evaluate their effect on strike rate Table 9 shows percent rooting success at age 5 months

Table 8: History of shoot collection and setting at Cam Ly, Dalat

Date shoots collected and set Average shoots

collected per hedge

Number of shoots set

Table 9: Rooting percentage 5 months after setting for different potting mixes at Cam Ly, Dalat Potting mix Percent rooting at 5 months

50% “top soil”: 50% decomposed coffee husks 70%

1/3 “top soil”: 1/3 decomposed coffee husks, 1/3 fine

sand

60%

There was no experiment of cutting propagation for different pine varieties in Da Lat

4.0 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the establishment and initial management of three pilot Pinus vegetative propagation

facilities in Vietnam, the following preliminary conclusions and recommendations are provided for further consideration:

1 The location of hedge areas should target well – drained sites that are not subject to excessive heat Where high temperatures are anticipated, temporary shading may be required to prevent the death of hedges

2 If hedge re-establishment is to occur at either Ba Vi or Phu Ninh, improve soil drainage before re-planting hedge plants