Growth of Clones of Eucalyptus urophylla in Two Contrasting Soil Conditions in Plantations of Southeastern Mexico

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Eucalyptus urophylla is important for the establishment of commercial forest plantations in Mexico. Genetic improvement programs are currently being implemented to increase timber productivity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the adaptability and growth stability of 26 clonal lines of E. urophylla in Acrisol and Fluvisol soils and to identify the most suitable genotypes for each soil type. Tree survival, diameter at breast height, and total height were measured annually for six years. These variables were used to estimate individual volume, volume per hectare, and mean annual (MAIv) and current annual (CAIv) volume increment. Survival ranged from 14 to 100% in the Acrisol soil and from 0 to 89% in the Fluvisol soil. Volume per hectare ranged from 65.3 to 488.7 m3, MAIv from 11.1 to 83.1 m3 ha−1 year−1, and CAIv from 2.4 to 134.7 m3 ha−1 year−1. Individual heritability ((Formula presented.)) was moderate (0.29–0.49) while the mean heritability of the cloned lines was high (0.73–0.90), indicating that growth is subject to high genetic control. Diameter, height, and volume presented no genotype × environment interaction effects, demonstrating stability in the growth of the clonal lines in both soil types.

The first author thanks the Mexican Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnología (CONAHCYT) for the award of a grant to conduct doctorate studies (CVU 639341), and the Fondo Sectorial para la Investigación, el Desarrollo y la Innovación Tecnológica Forestal, CONAFOR-CONACYT, through project No. A3-S-130398 “Evaluación temprana de ensayos progenies y clonales de la especie Eucalyptus urophylla utilizada en las plantaciones forestales comerciales de la empresa Forestaciones Operativas de México SA de CV en el estado de Tabasco” for funding this study.

Peer reviewed