<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><italic>Guazuma crinita</italic> is an important timber tree with a rotation age of 6–12 years in the Peruvian Amazon. A provenance/progeny test containing 200 families from seven locations (provenances) in the Aguaytía watershed of Peru was established in three zones in the Aguaytía watershed that differ in mean annual rainfall and soil fertility. Farmers managed the replications as plantations. Replications were divided into two groups at 24 months: faster- and slower-growing plantations. The faster-growing plantations were thinned at 32 months. The objectives of this paper are to determine if genetic variation in growth traits (tree height, stem diameter) is relatively greater in the faster-growing plantations, and if there are significant differences in tree mortality and stem bifurcations among provenances and families at 24, 36 and 48 months. Variation due to provenances and families and heritability of growth traits were consistently greater in the faster-growing plantations. At 48 months, heritability of growth traits was about twice as large in the faster- than in the slower-growing plantations. There were no significant interactions between zones and either provenances or families. Tree mortality and stem bifurcations in the faster-growing plantations generally did not differ significantly among families, but did differ significantly among provenances. Based on these results and considering its rotation age, we recommend that <italic>G. crinita</italic> families/trees could be selected at 48 months in the faster-growing plantations, the plantations could be transformed into seed orchards and the seed could be used for reforestation throughout the Aguaytía watershed. Results are compared with other tropical hardwoods.</p></abstract>

Guazuma crinita is an important timber tree with a rotation age of 6–12 years in the Peruvian Amazon. A provenance/progeny test containing 200 families from seven locations (provenances) in the Aguaytía watershed of Peru was established in three zones in the Aguaytía watershed that differ in mean annual rainfall and soil fertility. Farmers managed the replications as plantations. Replications were divided into two groups at 24 months: faster- and slower-growing plantations. The faster-growing plantations were thinned at 32 months. The objectives of this paper are to determine if genetic variation in growth traits (tree height, stem diameter) is relatively greater in the faster-growing plantations, and if there are significant differences in tree mortality and stem bifurcations among provenances and families at 24, 36 and 48 months. Variation due to provenances and families and heritability of growth traits were consistently greater in the faster-growing plantations. At 48 months, heritability of growth traits was about twice as large in the faster- than in the slower-growing plantations. There were no significant interactions between zones and either provenances or families. Tree mortality and stem bifurcations in the faster-growing plantations generally did not differ significantly among families, but did differ significantly among provenances. Based on these results and considering its rotation age, we recommend that G. crinita families/trees could be selected at 48 months in the faster-growing plantations, the plantations could be transformed into seed orchards and the seed could be used for reforestation throughout the Aguaytía watershed. Results are compared with other tropical hardwoods.

Genetic variation in tree growth, stem form and mortality of <italic>Guazuma crinita</italic> in slower- and faster-growing plantations in the Peruvian Amazon

Agroforestry and Novel Crops Unit, School of Marine and Tropical Biology

Silvae Genetica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Genetic variation in tree growth, stem form and mortality of  in slower- and faster-growing plantations in the Peruvian Amazon

Guazuma crinita is an important timber tree with a rotation age of 6–12 years in the Peruvian Amazon. A provenance/progeny test containing 200 families from...

Genetic variation in tree growth, stem form and mortality of Guazuma crinita in slower- and faster-growing plantations in the Peruvian Amazon

Published Online: Aug 05, 2017

Page range: 70 - 78

Received: Mar 22, 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sg-2011-0010

Keywords
tree improvement, provenance/progeny test, environment, heritability

© 2011 J. C. Weber et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Genetic variation in tree growth, stem form and mortality of Guazuma crinita in slower- and faster-growing plantations in the Peruvian Amazon

Published Online: Aug 05, 2017

Page range: 70 - 78

Received: Mar 22, 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sg-2011-0010

Keywordstree improvement, provenance/progeny test, environment, heritability

© 2011 J. C. Weber et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
tree improvement, provenance/progeny test, environment, heritability