
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Butcher, PA 
A1  - Bell, JC 
A1  - Moran, GF 
T1  - Patterns of Genetic Diversity and Nature of the Breeding System in <I>Melaleuca alternifolia</I> (Myrtaceae)
JF  - Australian Journal of Botany
JO  - Aust. J. Bot.
Y1  - 1992
VL  - 40
IS  - 3
SP  - 365
EP  - 375
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/BT9920365 
N2  - 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. 
ER  -

