Conteo de marcas de yemas para estimar la edad en Polylepis tarapacana: Una técnica potencial

Abstract

In forest species that present a determined growth, the buds generate marks that are used to estimate the ages along the apical shoots or branches, by counting the internodes. In order to estimate the age along the branches in threatened and slow-growing species, such as Polylepis tarapacana Phil., it is crucial to have non-destructive techniques that avoid the collection of branches, sapling or complete specimens. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the potentiality of the age estimation technique, which uses external marks along the branch in P. tarapacana. We worked with 13 apical branches collected in 13 forests in the town of Lagunillas del Farallón, Dpt. Rinconada. Shoot marks were counted on each branch using two methods: a) along the 20 cm length of the main branch and b) on a lateral shoot of the main branch, three marks were counted along the length of the shoot. It was analyzed if the mark count adjusts to age with a mixed generalized linear model (Glmm), including tree as a random factor (n=26). The results indicate that there is potential for applying this technique, but in order to generate a reliable model, it would be necessary to collect a larger number of samples in future research.