Commercial plantations have recently been established in Myanmar by the private sector using both exotic and Myanmar teak. The authors investigated genetic compositions of commercial plantations using both exotic and Myanmar teak seeds with 10 cpSNP and three nrSSR markers and compared the genetic compositions of these populations with those of neighboring native teak forests. Three of four exotic populations had low diversity and their genetic composition was markedly different from those of native populations. The results suggest that exotic gene flow can cause serious genetic disturbance to native teak populations in Myanmar. Authors recommend establishing teak plantations using various seed sources from Myanmar and developing seed transfer guidelines based on genetic information.

Thwe-Thwe-Win et al. 2015. Genetic composition of exotic and native teak (Tectona grandis) in Myanmar as revealed by cpSNP and nrSSR markers. Conservation Genetics (In press, September 2015).