Presenter Information

E M. Hutton, EMBRAPA-CPAC/IICA

Publication Date

1985

Location

Kyoto Japan

Description

Leucaena Jeucocephala (Lam.) de Wit is adapted to less acid and alkaline soils. It is potentially valuable for the American tropics, but much of this vast area has low pH soils (oxisols and ultisols) with high Al and low Ca saturations. Adaptation to these conditions needed sources of acid-soil tolerance in Leucaena and a definition of the characters basic to this tolerance. A field trial at Carimagua (Colombian llanos) indicated that subsoil Ca rather than Al was the main factor in Leucaena adaptation. Consequently interspecific crosses mainly between L. leucocephala and acid-soil tolerant L. diversifolia (Schlecht) Benth. Hook. were made, and promising natural hybrids selected. A glasshouse technique using Carimagua oxisol put selection pressure in populations on Ca uptake and confirmed the importance of Ca in Leucaena adaptation. Further field results (CPAC Brazil) from F2 populations have indicated that hybrids combining the best agronomic features of L. leucocephala and the acid-soil tolerance of L. diversifolia can be produced.

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Acid-Soil Tolerant Hybrids in the Tree Legume, Leucaena

Kyoto Japan

Leucaena Jeucocephala (Lam.) de Wit is adapted to less acid and alkaline soils. It is potentially valuable for the American tropics, but much of this vast area has low pH soils (oxisols and ultisols) with high Al and low Ca saturations. Adaptation to these conditions needed sources of acid-soil tolerance in Leucaena and a definition of the characters basic to this tolerance. A field trial at Carimagua (Colombian llanos) indicated that subsoil Ca rather than Al was the main factor in Leucaena adaptation. Consequently interspecific crosses mainly between L. leucocephala and acid-soil tolerant L. diversifolia (Schlecht) Benth. Hook. were made, and promising natural hybrids selected. A glasshouse technique using Carimagua oxisol put selection pressure in populations on Ca uptake and confirmed the importance of Ca in Leucaena adaptation. Further field results (CPAC Brazil) from F2 populations have indicated that hybrids combining the best agronomic features of L. leucocephala and the acid-soil tolerance of L. diversifolia can be produced.