Forestry performance of Bertholletia excelsa Humn. & Bonpl Lecythidaceae under different fertilizers after two years of planting

Abstract

Bertholletia excelsa is a species is frequently used in reforestation due to its high degree of adaptability and its excellent initial growth. Thus, this work aimed to study the growth of B. excelsa according to different types and concentrations of fertilization, seeking to contribute to the silvicultural development of this species. For this purpose, seedlings of B. excelsa were planted in the Madre de Dios region on a property near the province of Puerto Maldonado in Peru. The seedlings were selected when they presented an average height of 22 cm for all treatments, being T1: Dolomite + SPT; T2: Dolomite + NPK; T3: Dolomite + SPT + Agricultural plaster; T4: Dolomite + NPK + Agricultural plaster, and T5: A control treatment without fertilization modifications. The experimental design was randomized blocks with five treatments and four replicates of six seedlings each. Once the ANOVA assumptions were met, the data were subjected to analysis of variance, with significant differences between the data, the means were compared using the Tukey test (p < 0.05). Survival (%) was evaluated from the number of live individuals in two years of measurement. The treatment T4 presented great silvicultural potential, as the fertilization provided the development in height and diameter. Treatments T1 and T3 did not perform well when compared to the control, presenting the lowest growth rates in height and diameter, and the lowest survival rate. The control treatment did not differ statistically from T4, thus concluding that pre-plant fertilization of B. excelsa is not necessary.