Seed orchard

Seed orchards are the strong link between breeding programs and plantation establishment.

In the seed orchard, the trees can be arranged in a design to keep the related individuals or cloned copies apart from each other.

Seed orchards crops derive generally from a limited number of trees.

But if it is a common wind-pollinated species much pollen will come from outside the seed orchard and widen the genetic diversity.

To achieve this, the following methods are commonly applied: orchards are established on flat surface sites with southern exposure (better conditions for orchard maintenance and for seed production), no stands of the same species in close proximity (avoid strong pollen contamination), sufficient area to produce and be mainly pollinated with their own pollen cloud, cleaning the corridors between the rows, fertilising, and supplemental pollination.