Management of fungal root rot in plantation acacias grown in Indonesia

Indonesia's plantation forestry sector has 1.4 million hectares of Acacia mangium established. A. mangium is valued as a fast-growing tree,with its wood in demand for use in pulp and timber production. Tree stumps and debris are often left behind after harvesting, allowing fungi that cause root rot to build up inoculum levels. Successive tree rotations are being infected by these fungi, with incidences of root rot increasing with each new rotation (as high as 28 per cent in three to five year old trees in Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces). Management strategies targeting root rot are the most effective controls, and will be introduced through this research.


	The project: Aims to: To manage fungal root- rot diseases in plantation acacias growning in Indonesia and to reduce the losses in productivity caused by these diseases. Project objectives: Identify the main causal agent(s) of root-rot diseases of Acacia mangium and characterise their field biology Identify site factor influencing the development of disease symptoms and root-disease distribution to develop site risk assessment tools Develop simple and cost-effective root rot control strategies Training,dissemination and adoption of outcomes

Disclaimer

Pulpwood plantation forestry is a reality in Indonesia. Large areas of land are allocated to this land use and many people depend on the industry for their livelihoods. The long-term sustainability of pulpwood plantation forestry is a complex issue and disease management is only one aspect of this. However, given the magnitude of the environmentaland social investment, maximising tree survival and minimising root disease in the plantations will contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development in these areas.