Improvement of Eucalyptus sp for biomass and bioenergy production in the north of Spain

Eucalyptus globulus Labill. has been used in Spain for decades as a cellulose source for the paper and textile industry. Since 1997, Sniace group has tested new provenances and families from 29 different Eucalyptus species to explore their capacity for biomass and bioenergy production. Plus trees for growth, wood quality, rooting capacity and tolerance to Mycosphaerella sp have been identified by mass selection, and more than 300 controlled crosses among those trees have been carried out. However, the restrictions caused by the high susceptibility to Mycosphaerella leaf disease and the low rooting capacity of the species Eucalyptus globulus Labill. delay the application of the gains to a commercial scale. The objective of this project is to improve the production of Eucalyptus in the North of Spain focused on the improvement of two traits of economic importance: clonal/rooting capacity and tolerance to Mycosphaerella sp. To achieve this goal three partial objectives have been approached: