‘G1’ (U.S. Patent PP21,582), ‘G2’ (U.S. Patent PP21,571), ‘G3’ (U.S. Patent PP21,569), ‘G4’ (U.S. Patent PP21,570), and ‘G5’ (U.S. PPAF)
Eucalyptus grandis Cultivars
G5
G5
G5
- Commercial Use: Bioenergy, Windbreaks
- Growth Habit: Evergreen
- Ideal Planting: Between 1,000-2,000 Acres
- Harvest Period: 4-5 times in the 20 year lifespan
Description: E.nergy™ ‘G1’ (U.S. Patent PP21,582), ‘G2’ (U.S. Patent PP21,571), ‘G3’ (U.S. Patent PP21,569), ‘G4’ (U.S. Patent PP21,570), and ‘G5’ (U.S. PPAF) are five newly released E. grandis cultivars with exceptional site and freeze tolerances. These cultivars have potential for biomass production because they are greatly superior to the seedlings currently available in Florida; no commercial E. grandis clones exist in Florida. The cultivars were developed at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation.
E.nergy™ ‘G1’, ‘G2’, ‘G3’, ‘G4’, and ‘G5’ have considerable potential for making a significant contribution to Florida agriculture and the general public by increasing E. grandis yield and quality for biomass production. Energy wood may be utilized for electricity generation by many utilities in Florida by co-firing with coal, for example. Some utilities in southern Florida are now burning woody biomass to produce electricity and steam. Woody biomass also has numerous other energy-related applications including direct combustion, thermo-chemical gasification, methane production, and, potentially, alcohol production. Trees grown for energy applications may qualify for certain tax credits worth as much as $30 per dry ton.
E.nergy™ ‘G1’, ‘G2’, ‘G3’, ‘G4’, and ‘G5’ are fast-growing, straight trees with superior survival, tree size, form, coppicing, wood properties, and/or freeze tolerance/resilience. Trees have grown well in a range of sites and conditions under evaluation in southern and central Florida. The cultivars have demonstrated high energy wood productivity on reclaimed phosphate mined lands.
Their outstanding selection qualities of tree size, form, coppicing, and freeze hardiness are complemented by desirable propagation characteristics. On infertile “palmetto prairie” sites with minimal culture in southern Florida, trees have reached heights of 8m in 2.3 years, while on muck soils, they have grown to over 13m in 2.5 years. On infertile bay dredge soil in central Florida, the trees have grown over 10m in 3 years. Similarly impressive growth has been observed on clay settling areas as well. ‘G1’ has shown susceptibility to the blue gum chalcid, but ‘G2’, ‘G3’, ‘G4’, and ‘G5’ have not exhibited this trait.
License Availability: FFSP has non-exclusively licensed the following entity for the propagation of the E.nergy™ series:
‘G2’, ‘G3’, ‘G4’, and ‘G5’
Florida Grown Specialties, LLC
http://www.floridagrownspecialties.com/