Evaluation of the initial performances of provenances of Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith in Rio Doce Valley - Minas Gerais State

Abstract

The Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith. is important to the Brazilian economy due to its participation in the production of pulp, construction wood and charcoal for iron industry. The growth of the wood demand required the development of improvement programs aiming to establish the origins of Eucalyptus species which present consistent characteristics with the final usage of wood and significant adaptability to Brazilian ecological conditions. In Rio Doce Valley,Minas Gerais State, two provenance tests were established; in Marlieria and Dionisio, using 14 and 11 provenances respectively. It was used  a randomized block design with six replicates and five plants per plot and a space of 5x5 m in Dionisio and 6x4 m in Marlieria. A preliminary analysis was done at the age of 4 and 5, for the parameters height, DBH, survival rate and cylindrical volume per hectare showed that provenances 12.947 (Kennedy River), 10.952 (Mt. Molloy) and 10.975 (N. W. Laura) were the top ones in Dionisio, while in Marlieria the best sequence was given by 12.947 (Kennedy River), 11.953 (Laura) and 10.952 (Mt. Molloy).