Gene clue to good oil on sandalwood

Scientists have unlocked the genetic code behind sandalwood oil in a breakthrough for one of WA's longest-running export industries.

WA Forest Products Commission seed technologies manager Liz Barbour said the find would help determine oil-producing capacity at the seedling stage instead of having to wait years for a tree to mature.

Sandalwood is hemiparasitic, so it depends on a host tree such as acacia for water and nutrients.

As a result, planting needs major investment while the time lag for oil to be detected has traditionally been 15 years for native sandalwood and seven years for tropical sandalwood.

Native WA sandalwood was first exported to China in 1844 as a powder to produce incense.

Dr Barbour said the scope for industry expansion was great and the discovery would help producers pick the best oil-yielding plants.

The team included researchers from the University of WA, the FPC and the University of British Columbia, with funding from the Australian Research Council.