Genetic determinants of oil yield in Eucalyptus polybractea R.T. Baker

JQD Goodger; IE Woodrow

Journal article

Genetic determinants of oil yield in Eucalyptus polybractea R.T. Baker

JQD Goodger, IE Woodrow

Trees Structure and Function | SPRINGER HEIDELBERG | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1007/s00468-012-0744-1

Abstract

Eucalyptus polybractea R. T. Baker is the key species used in Australia to produce commercial quantities of pharmaceutical-grade eucalyptus oil. Much of the variability in oil yield observed in coppiced stands of the species is considered genetically determined. Nonetheless it is not known how genetics acts on leaf and secretory cavity morphology to influence oil yield. To examine this, we first chose similar-sized mature leaves of different genotypes and determined that secretory cavity size accounted for 84 % of the variation in oil yield between genotypes. We then examined natural variation in mature leaf size found along branches and observed oil yield to increase in a linear, but non-pr..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Jason Goodger Author

Related Projects (1)

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Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mr. Peter Abbott of FGB Natural Products for use of the plantation. We also thank Ms. Allison Heskes for optimising the leaf clearing protocol for E. polybractea leaves. JQDG and IEW were supported by a grant from the Australian Research Council (Project DP1094530). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.