1. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Forestry), Sao Paulo, Brazil</br>
2. Postgraduate Program in Forestry Engineering, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Dr. Ivar Wendling
1. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Forestry), Sao Paulo, Brazil</br>
2. Postgraduate Program in Forestry Engineering, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Eucalypts are among the world’s most widely planted trees, but the productivity of eucalypt plantations is limited by their often-low amenability to true-to-type propagation from cuttings. An alternative approach to cutting propagation is tissue culture, which can be used to micropropagate valuable genotypes rapidly while simultaneously preserving germplasm in vitro. This review describes the use of tissue culture methods such as shoot culture, organogenesis, and somatic embryogenesis for micropropagating eucalypts. This review also discusses the use of cool storage, encapsulation, and cryopreservation methods for preserving eucalypt germplasm and delaying tissue maturation under minimal-growth conditions.
Understanding the mechanisms involved in tree species maturation, related mainly to ontogenetic age effects, has contributed significantly to the vegetative propagation process of Brazilian native tree species, with consequent application of clonal forestry. A number of methodologies has been developed to rescue and vegetatively propagate these species for silvicultural and environmental restoration purposes. However, the types and purposes of propagation, as well as the choice of suitable processes and propagules considering the intended objectives, still need to be better aligned. In addition, there is an evident knowledge gap and great potential regarding the use of native tree species in Brazilian clonal forestry, indicating the need of a greater interaction between studies on the vegetative propagation and vigor of these materials in the field. Therefore, this review aims to help understand the different types of techniques used and their application on the vegetative propagation and clonal forestry of Brazilian native tree species, besides proposing a schematic sequence of the stages involved in these processes for productive and environmental purposes.