Tree Breeding Australia, the peak body for tree breeding and genetic improvement in Australia, announced a major milestone over the weekend, with TREEPLAN celebrating its 21st birthday.
Tree Breeding Australia initially developed TREEPLAN software in 2002 in partnership with the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), University of New England, Armidale.
Since its inception, TREEPLAN has become a vital tool in the evaluation and improvement of radiata pine genetics in Australia.
Whilst it is most commonly connected with radiata pine, it’s technology can be applied to estimate breeding and genetic values for all tree species and can be readily adapted to do the same for any species of plant.
The latest genetic evaluation was completed on March 1st, 2023, with a summary of the analysis provided through the Tree Breeding Australia website.
TREEPLAN: The leading genetic evaluation system for tree and plant improvement
In 2002, the first run of TREEPLAN for radiata pine produced breeding values on 83,000 genotypes across 47 trials. Fast forward to 2023, and the latest run included an impressive 607,000 genotypes in 270 trials Australia-wide.
Over the past 21 years, TREEPLAN has achieved a number of major milestones. Peter Cunningham, Tree Breeding Australia’s Business Manager since 2019, focused on two specific achievements:
- The introduction of economic weights, which played a crucial role in ranking material based on its value, both for the breeding program and for custom objectives tailored to pine growers and processors.
- The implementation of a single-step approach, integrating all phenotypic and genomic data into one comprehensive analysis.
Reflecting on the software’s successes, Peter Cunningham acknowledged the many contributions made by the ‘TREEPLAN champions’ over the years – too many to name or single out. Champions include Peter Volker, who was a former Chair of (Southern) Tree Breeding Australia from 2009 until 2013.
Cunningham continues:
“The TREEPLAN outputs help our members and collaborators make informed decisions about using the best genetics to maximise productivity and resource quality.”
“As the science and knowledge improves, so does the utilise of the software systems to deliver the innovations.”
History of TREEPLAN
A detailed timeline of the software is available to view through the through the Tree Breeding Australia website. For more information about TREEPLAN and Tree Breeding Australia please contact
Tree Breeding Australia
39 Helen Street
PO Box 1811 Mount Gambier
SA 5290 Australia
Phone +61 8 87230688
