Teak has been the subject of comprehensive research programs in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar for at least 50 years. Some of the key outcomes from those programs with respect to plantations have been the identification of élite genetic material for wide-scale planting and the development of silvicultural practices that optimize the production of high-grade timber.

In Malaysia, FRIM is currently undertaking research on the following areas to enhance teak plantation development:

• Tree improvement, with the establishment of seed and clonal orchards to make available élite planting materials for mass multiplication.
• Tissue culture, to develop large-scale in vitro propagation techniques for the production of uniform true-to-type plants for the plantation industry.
• Genetic evaluation and fingerprinting of teak clones using isoenzyme and molecular markers.
• Species site matching, with ongoing detailed studies.
• Optimum thinning regimes, fertilizer requirements and sound silvicultural practices, through planting trials.