Intra-and intergenotypic competition among commercial eucalyptus clones

Bruno Ettore Pavan,Bruno Marco de Lima,Rafaela Goularte Amaral,Rinaldo César de Paula,Edimar Aparecido Scarpinati

doi:10.1590/1984-70332019v19n2a25

Bruno Ettore Pavan, Bruno Marco de Lima + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-70332019v19n2a25

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Abstract

Abstract Plantations made up of clones carry genetic uniformity that can compromise production. The use of multiclonal plantations is a possible solution. The objective of this study was to identify effects of competition on silvicultural performance of Eucalyptus spp. commercial clones. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with 12 eucalyptus clones, three replicates, and five plants per plot. Clones were evaluated for two competition types, intra- and intergenotypic, at 3 and 5 years of age. Competition parameters were estimated based on the analyses performed. Differences were found between the types of competition at both ages for mean annual increment and wood volume. Clones 8 and 9 stood out from the others in both intra- and intergenotypic competition. At 5 years of age, intergenotypic competition produced productivity gains of 13% in clones 8 and 9 and 4% overall considering wood volume and mean annual increment.

Highlights

The current area of planted forests will not be sufficient to supply growing wood consumption demands
The objective of this study is to identify possible effects of intra- and intergenotypic competition on commercial clones of Eucalyptus spp. at 3 and 5 years of age
The competition experiment design was based on the method described by Perecin et al (1997) which is based on a split-plot design, which enables assessment of genotypes and intra- and intergenotypic competition; genotypes composed the plots and the subplots exhibited competition

Summary

Introduction

The current area of planted forests will not be sufficient to supply growing wood consumption demands. Assessments of productivity and efficiency of species and genotypes on a commercial scale are fundamental. The largest players in terms of planted forests for industrial purposes are the US, China, and Brazil, and the most cultivated species are Pinus spp. In Brazil, Eucalyptus plantations comprised 73% of 7.84 million hectares in 2016 (IBÁ 2017), distributed across tropical and subtropical regions (Castro et al 2016). Appropriate edaphoclimatic conditions, well-established breeding programs, and the development of silvicultural management best practices have contributed to Brazil becoming a world leader in eucalyptus productivity (IBÁ 2017). Elite tree selection and efficient vegetative propagation techniques have brought uniformity to forest plantations, favoring operational management. Crosses between Eucalyptus grandis and Received: 03 September 2018 Accepted: 03 January 2019

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