Establishment of black saxaul (Haloxylon aphyllum (Minkw.)Ilj) in seed orchard

Nowadays, optimized utilization of forests potentials and seed orchard establishment is not an option rather it is an obligation. In countries such as Iran, which are considered as low forest countries, forest seed orchard establishment is a non-replaceable exigency. This is in such conditions in which unsystematically exploration of forest tree species has caused genetic deterioration and reduction of genetic variation of a great number of valuable forest tree species. Following fulfillment of a national research project on investigation of genetic potential of Haloxylon species, six populations of H. aphyllum collected from Khorasan Razavi, Qom, Yazd, Semnan, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces were primarily investigated by which a number of suitable trees with appropriate performance were selected. The selected trees were further investigated by progeny testing in the six provinces. A number of superior genotypes were selected on which H. aphyllum seed orchard was established in Qom, Khorasan Razavi, and Yazd provinces. Using collected seeds on the selected plus trees, seedlings were produced, and a further selection was performed on the seedlings and planted in the seed orchards in such a way that the least relationship could be found between adjacent stands. Optimization of genetic variation in the mentioned seed orchards should be dynamically continued, along with utilization of their outcomes.