Micropropagation of the acacia species - A review

The genus Acacia comprises many species which are important for firewood, fodder, tannin, pulpwood, shelterbelts, and soil improvement. Species of Acacia are dispersed widely in tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, South America, Asia, and Africa. In the past, the majority of forest trees have been propagated through the traditional family forestry method, where trees are grown from seeds and propagated sexually. Clonal propagation through tissue culture offers an alternative to vegetative practices and has the potential to provide high multiplication rates of uniform genotypes, resulting in short-term gains. Extensive in vitro research and success have been achieved for a number of forest trees, including the Pinus, Eucalyptus, and Acacia species. Acacia mearnsii is fast becoming one of the most important trees in South African forestry. For this reason it is important to employ biotechnology to enable the industry to compete in the international market. However, for these procedures to be commercially viable, the post-culture performance in the field must be improved because the initial financial outlay is high. This review provides an overview on in vitro work done on the Acacia species.