Successful Industrial Plantation Forest (HTI) largely depends on seed quality. For this reason, an increasing demand of high quality seed has become one of urgent matters to be solved immediately. Establishment of seed orchard might be appropriate to meet this purpose. Furthermore, those seed orchards could be improved genetically with the application of tree improvement principle. Establishment of a progeny test-seedling seed orchard was expected to have the following objectives: 1). progeny test to provide information for selection (roguing), 2). seed orchard to produce genetically improved seed and 3). base population to select plus trees for the next generation.
The progeny test-seMling seed orchard of Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell at Peleihari, South Kalimantan consisted of 155 families from 6 provenances. Experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design at 10 replications, 5 lines tree plot and spacing of 4 x 1.5 m. Height, diameter (dbh) and stem straightness were measured every 4 months after planting until 28 months.
Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and covariance to see variation between families, family heritability and genetic correlation among traits. Results indicated that: 1) family variation on growth traits were significant, 2) family heritability seemed to be sufficiently high and almost constant, and 3) the correlation among traits was positive and varied from moderate to high.
Key words: Eucalyptus pellita, family variation, genetic correlation, heritability, progeny tes
