Genetic variation in seed germination and growth performance of 12 acacia nilotica provenances in India

Seed germination behaviour and growth characteristics of 12 different Acacia nilotica populations scattered over the natural range in India were studied in a provenance trial. A significant difference between the provenances was observed in respect of seed germination and growth (height, diameter, survival %) of 42 months in the field. Four provenances, i.e. Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Ambala (Haryana), Dholpur (Rajasthan) and Kuthipura (Rajasthan), gave more than 70% germination and also exhibited good growth performance. Seed germination was found to have a strong positive correlation with the growth of field planted seedlings. The possibility of this relationship for the indication of early selection is discussed. None of the traits assessed was related to any of the geographical coordinates of the site (latitude, longitude and altitude). There were fair differences between phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variability. Both heritability and genetic advance values were fairly high for all characters. Dholpur (Rajasthan) provenance depicted an excellent performance in growth and survival in comparison to others and can be suggested as a potential source for various plantation works in this region. Other good performing provenances are Ambala (Haryana) and Kuthipura (Rajasthan). The relative performance of these provenances was fairly consistent through the years.