Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 5(2): 317-321 (June 2014) ISSN 0975-928X http://sites.google.com/site/ejplantbreeding 317 Research Note Growth performance and variability of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. clones K.R. Dhixya Deve* and K.T. Parthiban Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam – 641301, Tamil Nadu, India * Email: dhixyaram@gmail.com (Received: 18 Mar 2014; Accepted:11 Apr 2014 ) Abstract The study was undertaken at Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam to ascertain the growth performance and variability of Dalbergia sissoo clones. Twenty clones collected from plus trees in different parts of India were assessed for three characters namely collar diameter, height and volume index. Based on the growth performance at six months after planting, five clones namely FCRIDSC 3, FCRIDSC 4, FCRIDSC 7, FCRIDSC 8 and FCRIDSC 16 were found be superior. GCV, heritability and genetic gain for all the traits investigated were high and hence selection based on these traits would be effective. Keywords: Dalbergia sissoo, Clones, Heritability, Genetic gain. Wood is the major raw material for many industries around the world. Increasing population, economic growth and industrialization increased the demand for wood and wood based products. The pulp and paper industry is considered as one of the largest consumers of forest based raw material. The paper industry in India comprises of more than 800 mills and it provides direct and indirect employment to 1.3 million people. In Asia Pacific region the per capita consumption of paper had increased from 5 kg to 12 kg per annum between 2003 and 2012. The world average of paper consumption for the same period was estimated to be 50 to 40 kg (CRISIL, 2012). In recent times initiatives have been taken up by many paper industries for incorporation of fast growing species like Melia dubia, Dalbergia sissoo and Anthocephalus cadamba etc. in the above mentioned programmes. As an alternate species Dalbergia sissoo had been widely recognised for its pulping potential. Dalbergia sissoo is commonly known as Shisham or Sissoo belonging to the family Fabaceae and subfamily Faboideae. The wood is highly durable and used for veneer, furniture, cabinets etc. The calorific value of the sapwood is about 4900 kcal kg -1 and that of heartwood is about 5200 kcal kg -1 . Recently it has been identified as one of the prominent alternate pulpwood species whose fibre can be used for producing paper. Chinnaraj and Malimuthu (2011) had recorded screened pulp yield of 46.5% and a kappa number of 21.6 in sissoo. However, studies on utilization of the available variability for genetic improvement in this aspect are scanty. Hence, it is important to identify superior genotypes having adequate variability in order to utilize them in tree improvement programmes. With this background a study was initiated in Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam to assess the growth performance and the genetic variability of sissoo clones. Twenty clones of sissoo collected from plus trees located in natural populations, plantations and roadside avenues from different parts of India were used in this investigation (Table 1). Biometric traits such as height, basal girth, Girth at Breast Height (GBH), age and volume were considered for selection of plus trees (Pitcher and Dorn, 1967). Four month old rooted cuttings made from the plus trees (PT’s) were planted in Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu (11.20°N and 76.56°S) following a row column design in three replications. A total of 360 ramets with 18 ramets in each clone were planted at 2x2 m spacing. Biometric observations viz., height and collar diameter were measured at two months interval from the date of planting for