Melbourne School of Land and Environment Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science

Saravanan Thavamanikumar

Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science
The University of Melbourne, Creswick Campus
Water Street, Creswick, VIC 3363, Australia
Email: s.thavamanikumar@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

Degree

PhD

Thesis title

Using genetic association studies for the improvement of wood and fibre properties in Eucalyptus globulus

Supervisors

Dr Gerd Bossinger
Dr Luke McManus
Dr Josquin Tibbits

Research Group

Forest Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Group

Project Outline

Eucalyptus globulus is the major pulpwood species grown in temperate regions of the world. Despite this, seed sources are largely unimproved. Improving eucalypt seed sources by conventional breeding is difficult due to long generation times, difficulties in measuring phenotypic traits particularly when looking at mature trait development, and inherent within tree variability in important traits during growth and maturation. An alternative approach involves the detection of associations between allelic variation (at the sequence level) and phenotypic variation which would allow for marker assisted selection. Within the frame of this thesis it is proposed, through association genetics approach, to increase wood production and value by improvement of solid wood and fibre properties in eucalypts. This study will lead to the development of molecular markers that allow for the early identification of beneficial alleles and allele combinations significantly accelerating the breeding and selection process.

Publications

Thavamanikumar, S, Mcmanus, L. J., Tibbits, J. F. G, Stackpole, D. J., Vaillancourt, R. E and Bossinger, G. 2007. Genetic association studies in Eucalyptus globulus Labill. In: IUFRO Tree Biotechnology 2007, Azores, Portugal, 3-8 June 2007, SVII.10p.

Mcmanus, L. J., Thavamanikumar, S, Stackpole, D. J., Nevill, P.G., Vaillancourt, R. E and Bossinger, G. 2007. Associating genetic variation in lignin genes with Phenotypic changes in Eucalyptus globulus. In: IUFRO Tree Biotechnology 2007, Azores, Portugal, 3-8 June 2007, SVII.3.

 

 

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