Three-year survival and growth of provenances of Pinus greggii in the tropics and subtropics

Abstract

Eleven provenance/progeny tests of Pinus greggii Engelm. were assessed for survival and height at 3 years of age in Brazil, Colombia and South Africa. Trees of P. greggii from sources in northern Mexico (≈ 25°N latitude) were less than half as tall as trees from provenances in central Mexico (≈ 21°N latitude) when established in warm climates of Brazil and Colombia, (4.2 m vs. 1.6 m, respectively). The differences in height growth diminished between southern and northern sources in more temperate climates in South Africa (2.9 m vs. 2.1 m, respectively). External morphological differences in foliage were also pronounced between trees of the two regions when grown as an exotic. Trees from northern sources had shorter, stiffer, needles of darker green color than those from southern provenances. The most promising of the southern provenances across all sites were El Madroño (Queretaro) and Laguna Seca (Hidalgo). La Tapona (Nuevo Leon) and Los Lirios (Coahuila) performed well among the northern sources. Pinus greggii should be tested where low rainfall and cold are considered limiting factors for good growth of P. patula.