TITLE:
Genetic Variability in Myracrodruon urundeuva (Allemão) Engl. Progeny Tests
AUTHORS:
Daniela Silvia de Oliveira Canuto, Alexandre Marques da Silva, Miguel Luiz Menezes Freitas, Alexandre Magno Sebbenn, Mario Luiz Teixeira de Moraes
KEYWORDS:
Conservation, Improvement, Seed Orchard
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.7 No.1,
December
8,
2016
ABSTRACT: Aroeira (Myracrodruon urundeuva) is a widely
spread tree species, but due to its excellent wood quality it is now part of
the list of vulnerable trees for extinction. Thus, strategies for the
conservation of the genetic variability of the remaining natural populations
are needed. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability in M. urundeuva progeny tests, from natural
populations located in areas with and without human disturbance. Seeds of six
natural populations of M. urundeuva were collected from two conditions, with and without anthropogenic disturbance,
and nine progeny tests were installed in the Education, Research and Extension
Farm, located in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The overall
height, average crown diameter (DMC) and the diameter at breast height (DBH)
were assessed as phenotypic traits. Estimates of variance components and
genetic parameters were obtained by REML/BLUP method (maximum restricted
likelihood/best unbiased linear prediction). The results showed that natural
population with human disturbance presented less genetic variability than
populations originating from areas without human disturbance (CVr until 0.87). The progeny tests evaluated had high accuracy (0.91 for DBH),
which ensures the viability of the ex
situ genetic conservation bank and its successful use in the breeding program,
i.e., in the conversion of the progeny tests into M. urundeuva seed orchards. The most suitable character for
selection was the DBH.