Interspecific differences in the oleoresin production of Copaifera L. (Fabaceae) in the Amazon rainforest

Abstract

Copaifera species produce an oleoresin of commercial importance that is widely extracted in Amazon communities. This paper addresses two questions. (1) What are the morphological characteristics of Copaifera species that influence oleoresin production? (2) How do different Copaifera species respond to repeated harvests? We performed a large-scale experiment in the Brazilian Amazon. We tapped 110 Copaifera trees belonging to four species, and several morphological tree characteristics were measured to determine their effect on oleoresin production. The proportion of Copaifera reticulata and Copaifera paupera trees that yielded more than 1 ml oleoresin was higher than the other species. The oleoresin volumes from yielding Copaifera pubiflora trees were significantly higher than those from C. reticulata and C. paupera, with Copaifera multijuga yielding intermediate values. Interestingly, none of the studied morphological tree characteristics had a significant effect on the proportion of yielding trees. Hollowed trees yielded significantly smaller volumes than non-hollowed trees. Both the proportion of yielding trees and oleoresin volumes decreased from the first to the second harvests for C. reticulata and C. paupera; however, the opposite pattern was observed for C. pubiflora. Oleoresin production capacity varies by species, and management protocols should account for these differences.