SEED PROCUREMENT AND DISTRIBUTION BY THE DANIDA FOREST SEED CENTRE

by

Bjerne Ditlevsen
State Forest Service, Denmark

INTRODUCTION

The DANIDA Forest Seed Centre (DFSC) is a forestry development project financed by DANIDA (Danish International Development Agency). The activities of the Seed Centre were initiated in 1969 under the project name Danish/FAO Forest Tree Seed Centre and the present project covers the period from 1981 to 1986. The DFSC is based in Humlebaek, Denmark, although most of its activities take place in developing countries, primarily in South-east Asia and Central America.

The provision of seed of high quality for planting is frequently a problem for developing countries. In some cases seed availability of a whole species may be inadequate, in others it may be difficult to procure seed from particular sources which have proved to be best adapted to the environmental conditions in the introducing countries. In order to assist developing countries, procurement of high quality seed was included as one of the main objectives in the DFSC programme for the period 1981–86. The work on seed procurement and distribution is organized by the Seed Branch of the DFSC, the activities of which are outlined in this note.

WORKING PROGRAMME

The principal features of DFSC's Working Programme are:

1. To make available to developing countries good quality forest seed i.e. seed of the species and provenances that have proved best suited to, and therefore in special demand in, the individual countries. Up to now, the main demand has been for seed of fast-growing industrial tree species, but the demand for seed of species suitable for fuelwood and fodder is increasing.

2. Among the species included in the Working Programme, to place the main emphasis on procuring seed from sources that are in danger of becoming extinct as a result of land clearing, logging, repeated burning and other factors. Several of the best stands, e.g. in Central America, are threatened and it is important to secure seed from such sources before it is too late.

3. To use the available seed for:

   1. establishment of seed stands in developing countries. The aim is to make these countries eventually self-sufficient in seed. They will thus have access to good, well-adapted material and will, in future, become independent of expensive and often unreliable seed procurement from abroad.

   2. establishment of gene conservation stands, in particular of species and provenances in danger of extinction within their natural ranges. Conservation of material outside its natural range (ex situ conservation) is becoming more important as more and more natural seed sources are threatened or disappear.

   3. species and provenance trials and seed studies (physiology, pretreatment, etc.). A small portion of the seed would be used for these purposes.

4. Since 1981 DFSC has given priority to satisfying the seed procurement needs of the following six countries in South-east Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. However, seed exchange with other countries is undertaken provided that the seed provided to DFSC in exchange is of interest to the above-mentioned priority countries. In addition, research seed samples are available to all interested countries. ²

SEED PROCUREMENT

Based on information about seed demand, particularly in South-east Asian countries, the DSFC gives high priority to seed procurement of the following species in the present project period (1981–86);

The quantities of seed procured up to July 1984 are shown in Table 1. It includes an estimate of the area of stands which could be established from the weight of seed collected; the estimate is based on the number of germinable seeds per kg. for each species, 3 × 3 m spacing in the stands, and assumed losses of 50% in the nursery and 20% losses at planting. The table also lists the countries in which seed has been, or is to be procured.

Table 1. PROCUREMENT OF SEED OF PRIORITY SPECIES

SEED BANK SERVICES

All seed procured to date by the DFSC has been sent to the Seed Bank located at Humlebaek, Denmark, for processing and storage, pending distribution to developing countries.

In addition to serving as a Seed Bank for seed procured by DFSC, the Seed Bank also receives, processes and distributes seed for the FAO Project on Genetic Resources of Arid and Semi-arid Zone Arboreal Species for the Improvement of Rural Living, coordinated by FAO's Forestry Department.

A summary of the quantities of seed received and despatched by the DFSC in 1983/84 is given in Table 2.

Table 2. RECEIPT AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEED FROM THE DFSC SEED BANK IN THE PERIOD JULY 1981 TO JULY 1984

DISTRIBUTION AND UTILIZATION OF THE SEED

As mentioned above, the seed procured is to be used primarily to establish seed stands and gene conservation stands. A small proportion is to be used for experimental purposes.

Establishment of seed stands aims at the production of seed for local use, whereas the objective of gene conservation stands is to preserve the original material for the future. Although these two types of stands are established in a similar way, methods of thinning will differ. In seed stands, heavy, early, selective thinnings are preferred in order to increase seed production as well as to improve the genetic material by removing inferior trees. In gene conservation stands, a systematic thinning is preferred as far as possible in order to avoid reduction of the genetic base or changes in the characteristic allele frequencies of the material. Some guidance to the establishment and management of seed stands and gene conservation stands is contained in Technical Note No. 14 published by DFSC in 1984.

Those interested in obtaining seeds or further information should write to:

DANIDA Forest Seed Centre
Krogerupvej 3A
DK-3050 Humlebaek
Denmark.

² Note from the Editor: The provision of seed for seed stands and gene conservation stands has now been extended to a wider range of countries (by DFSC Circular Letter No.23 of February 1985). See p. 45 of this issue.

Manuscript received in July 1984.