African mahogany, a high-value hardwood, is commonly used to build quality furniture.
Photo supplied by Paragon Furniture

A genetic program is underway to provide quality in plantations of the high value species African mahogany.

African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) is a high-value hardwood timber species with great potential for forest plantations in northern Australia. African mahogany has been grown in Australia since 1959 with provenance trials established in the late 1960s (26 provenances from 11 African countries).

Sporadic testing and trial plantings by Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPIF) and the Northern Territory Department of Regional Development, Primary Industries, Fisheries and Resources has led to the selection of elite clones that are under evaluation for commercial release.

QPIF´s Molecular Marker Laboratory in Mareeba has received funding (as a collaborator in the Smart Forests Alliance Queensland) to develop DNA markers for African mahogany. These DNA markers will be used to study the genetic diversity of African mahogany from its native range across sub-Saharan Africa where it is considered endangered.

Molecular marker data will allow informed selections of parental lines in future breeding programs (as opposed to random open pollination) and will assist in the conservation and incorporation of novel germplasm into the breeding program.

These markers will be also be used to ´fingerprint´ the elite clones to identify individual clones. This information will be used to enhance Plant Breeders Rights protection, allow quality control during propagation, and to determine parentage of these open pollinated clones.

For more information on this project, contact Mirko Karan mirko.karan@dpi.qld.gov.au