INTERNATIONAL SEED TRADE

LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA FABACEAE SUBFAM. MIMOSOIDEAE IS A MULTIPURPOSE, FAST-GROWING, NITROGEN-FIXING TREE WHICH IS NATURALIZED AND/OR CULTIVATED THROUGHOUT THE HUMID TROPICS AND USED EXTRENSIVELY FOR FORAGE/FODDER FOR ANIMALS, BIOMASS/BIOENERGY PLANTATIONS, EROSION CONTROL AND RECLAMATION, ANDA VARIETY OF WOOD PRODUCTS INCLUDING TIMBER AND CHARCOAL. IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS IMPORTANT ONLY IN HAWAII A ALTHOUGH IT IS NATIVE TO SOUTH TEXAS AND FLORIDA. WIDE USAGE OF LEUCAENA HAS BEEN RESTRICTED BY IT NARROW E ECOLOGICAL AMPLITUDE; BY VARIABLE LEVELS OF MIMOSINE, AN UNCOMMON AND TOXIC AMINO ACID; AND GENERAL LACK OF CULTIVARSSUITABLE FOR ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THE HUMID LOWLAND TROPICS.HOWEVER, THERE ARE AT LEAST NINE OTHER SPECIES IN THE GENUS,SOME OF WHICH ARE KNOWN TO BE MORE TOLERANT OF COLD AND OF ACID SOILS THAN L. LEUCOCEPHALA OR WHICH HAVE MUCH LOWER LEVELS OF MIMOSINE. ARTIFICIAL HYBRIDS BETWEEN THESE SPECIESHAVE SHOWN GREAT PROMISE IN HAWAII FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NEWSTRAINS. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS TO BEGIN A BREEDING PROGRAM TTO DEVELOP HYBRID VARIETIES OF BROADER ECOLOGICAL AMPLITUDE WHICH WOULD LEAD TO THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF HYBRID CULTIVARS OF LEUCAENA FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF ECOSYSTEMS.