
%0 Journal Article
%A Butcher, PA 
%A Bell, JC 
%A Moran, GF 
%T Patterns of Genetic Diversity and Nature of the Breeding System in <I>Melaleuca alternifolia</I> (Myrtaceae)
%J Australian Journal of Botany
%D 1992/06/01
%V 40
%N 3
%P 365-375
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/BT9920365
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/BT9920365 
%X Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden &amp; Betche) Cheel is harvested from natural stands and plantations for production of Australian tea-tree oil. Genetic variation was examined and outcrossing rates estimated to provide baseline information for breeding and selection programs. The overall genetic diversity (HT = 0.186) is comparable to other regionally distributed Australian tree species. There was a general trend for more isolated populations to have less genetic variation than populations from the centre of the species distribution. The level of differentiation among populations was low (12%), associated with a high outcrossing rate (93%) and high levels of gene flow. Geographic separation of Queensland and New South Wales populations corresponds with genetic distance measures. 
