José Luiz Stape

Assessing the effects of early silvicultural management on long-term site productivity of fast-growing eucalypt plantations: the Brazilian experience

Eucalyptus is the dominant and most productive planted forest in Brazil, covering around 3.4 million ha for the production of charcoal, pulp, sawtimber, timber plates, wood foils, plywood and for building purposes. At the early establishment of the forest plantations, during the second half of the 1960s, the eucalypt yield was 10 m3 ha−1 y−1. Now, as a result of investments in research and technology, the average productivity is 38 m3 ha−1 y−1. The productivity restrictions are related to the following environmental factors, in order of importance: water deficits > nutrient deficiency > soil depth and strength. The clonal forests have been fundamental in sites with larger water and nutrient restrictions, where they out-perform those established from traditional seed-based planting stock. When the environmental limitations are small the productivities of plantations based on clones or seeds appear to be similar. In the long term there are risks to sustainability, because of the low fertility and low reserves of primary minerals in the soils, which are, commonly, loamy and clayey oxisols and ultisols. Usually, a decline of soil quality is caused by management that does not conserve soil and site resources, damages soil physical and chemical characteristics, and insufficient or unbalanced fertiliser management. The problem is more serious when fast-growing genotypes are planted, which have a high nutrient demand and uptake capacity, and therefore high nutrient output through harvesting. The need to mobilise less soil by providing more cover and protection, reduce the nutrient and organic matter losses, preserve crucial physical properties as permeability (root growth, infiltration and aeration), improve weed control and reduce costs has led to a progressive increase in the use of minimum cultivation practices during the last 20 years, which has been accepted as a good alternative to keep or increase site quality in the long term. In this paper we provide a synthesis and critical appraisal of the research results and practical implications of early silvicultural management on long-term site productivity of fast-growing eucalypt plantations arising from the Brazilian context.

COMPETITION AMONG EUCALYPTUS TREES DEPENDS ON GENETIC VARIATION AND RESOURCE SUPPLY

Genetic variation and environmental heterogeneity fundamentally shape the interactions between plants of the same species. According to the resource partitioning hypothesis, competition between neighbors intensifies as their similarity increases. Such competition may change in response to increasing supplies of limiting resources. We tested the resource partitioning hypothesis in stands of genetically identical (clone-origin) and genetically diverse (seed-origin) Eucalyptus trees with different water and nutrient supplies, using individual-based tree growth models. We found that genetic variation greatly reduced competitive interactions between neighboring trees, supporting the resource partitioning hypothesis. The importance of genetic variation for Eucalyptus growth patterns depended strongly on local stand structure and focal tree size. This suggests that spatial and temporal variation in the strength of species interactions leads to reversals in the growth rank of seed-origin and clone-origin trees. This study is one of the first to experimentally test the resource partitioning hypothesis for intergenotypic vs. intragenotypic interactions in trees. We provide evidence that variation at the level of genes, and not just species, is functionally important for driving individual and community-level processes in forested ecosystems.

Relationships between nursery practices and field performance for Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil

The 3.5 million ha of Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil support many domestic and industrial activities. In the pulpwood sector, forest productivity has increased from 12 to 40 m3 ha−1 year−1 through breeding and silviculturalpractices. Nurseries have fostered thisevolution with changes in container/substratetypes, propagation methods and specificinfrastructure for each plant growth phase.Eucalyptus plants are mainly produced bycuttings, using rigid tube containers filledwith vermiculite-organic compound substrates.Stock quality is based on morphologicalcharacteristics of the plants, andenvironmental conditions are highly significantfor plant performance. Performance is dependenton physiological short-term effects related tosurvival and long-term effects of genotype/rootmorphology related to tree development. Currentsilvicultural trends are reducing establishmentcosts but increasing the risk of using lowquality plants. The development of fieldperformance models and nursery physiologicaltests is recommended for Eucalyptusplantations in Brazil. Improved experimentaldesigns are needed to capture the interactionbetween plant quality and field performance.

Dynamics of soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m throughout the entire rotation in Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Although highly weathered soils cover considerable areas in tropical regions, little is known about exploration by roots in deep soil layers. Intensively managed Eucalyptus plantations are simple forest ecosystems that can provide an insight into the belowground growth strategy of fast-growing tropical trees. Fast exploration of deep soil layers by eucalypt fine roots may contribute to achieving a gross primary production that is among the highest in the world for forests. Soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m was studied throughout the complete cycle in Eucalyptus grandis plantations managed in short rotation. Intersects of fine roots, less than 1 mm in diameter, and medium-sized roots, 1–3 mm in diameter, were counted on trench walls in a chronosequence of 1-, 2-, 3.5-, and 6-year-old plantations on a sandy soil, as well as in an adjacent 6-year-old stand growing in a clayey soil. Two soil profiles were studied down to a depth of 10 m in each stand (down to 6 m at ages 1 and 2 years) and 4 soil profiles down to 1.5–3.0 m deep. The root intersects were counted on 224 m2 of trench walls in 15 pits. Monitoring the soil water content showed that, after clear-cutting, almost all the available water stored down to a depth of 7 m was taken up by tree roots within 1.1 year of planting. The soil space was explored intensively by fine roots down to a depth of 3 m from 1 year after planting, with an increase in anisotropy in the upper layers throughout the rotation. About 60% of fine root intersects were found at a depth of more than 1 m, irrespective of stand age. The root distribution was isotropic in deep soil layers and kriged maps showed fine root clumping. A considerable volume of soil was explored by fine roots in eucalypt plantations on deep tropical soils, which might prevent water and nutrient losses by deep drainage after canopy closure and contribute to maximizing resource uses.

Water use, water limitation, and water use efficiency in a Eucalyptus plantation

Millones de hectareas de Eucalyptus son intensamente manejadas en el mundo entero para la produccion de madera, pero la ecofisiologia del efecto de la limitacion de los recursos naturales en su crecimiento continuo, poco cuantificados. Fue estudiada la ecologia de la produccion de un plantio clonal de 3,4 anos de Eucalyptus grandis x urophylla en un terreno arenoso, durante dos anos (lluvioso y otro normal) en el noreste del Brasil. La produccion de madera fue medida y estimado el uso del agua para el bosque (agua transpirada) en los tratamientos control y bajo riego. La disponibilidad hidrica limito el crecimiento, y la biomasa lenosa crecio de 36,6 Mg ha-1 para los dos tratamientos, para 107,0 y 141,0 Mg ha-1 despues de 2 anos, para los tratamientos control y bajo riego, respectivamente. El promedio de la productividad para los 2 anos fue 52% superior para el tratamiento bajo riego (42,8 Mg ha-1 ano-1 versus 28,1 Mg ha-1 ano-1). El uso del agua fue similar entre los tratamientos control y bajo riego durante el ano lluvioso, pero la irrigacion aumento el uso del agua en 37% en el ano con precipitacion normal. La eficacia del uso del agua (produccion de madera por m3 de agua transpirada) en el tratamiento control aumento en el ano normal (1,8 kg madera/m3 de agua), en el ano humedo (3,3 kg madera/m3 de agua), y la irrigacion aumento la eficacia del uso del agua en 18% en el ano lluvioso, 75% en el ano normal, y 32% como promedio de los 2 anos. En conjunto con nuestro trabajo anterior sobre la eficacia del uso del agua por un gradiente de precipitacion, estos resultados indican que una eficacia superior del uso del agua se debe esperar con el aumento del uso del agua por el Eucalyptus.

Modeling monthly mean air temperature for Brazil

Air temperature is one of the main weather variables influencing agriculture around the world. Its availability, however, is a concern, mainly in Brazil where the weather stations are more concentrated on the coastal regions of the country. Therefore, the present study had as an objective to develop models for estimating monthly and annual mean air temperature for the Brazilian territory using multiple regression and geographic information system techniques. Temperature data from 2,400 stations distributed across the Brazilian territory were used, 1,800 to develop the equations and 600 for validating them, as well as their geographical coordinates and altitude as independent variables for the models. A total of 39 models were developed, relating the dependent variables maximum, mean, and minimum air temperatures (monthly and annual) to the independent variables latitude, longitude, altitude, and their combinations. All regression models were statistically significant (α ≤ 0.01). The monthly and annual temperature models presented determination coefficients between 0.54 and 0.96. We obtained an overall spatial correlation higher than 0.9 between the models proposed and the 16 major models already published for some Brazilian regions, considering a total of 3.67 × 108 pixels evaluated. Our national temperature models are recommended to predict air temperature in all Brazilian territories.

Wood CO2 efflux and foliar respiration for Eucalyptus in Hawaii and Brazil

We measured CO(2) efflux from wood for Eucalyptus in Hawaii for 7 years and compared these measurements with those on three- and four-and-a-half-year-old Eucalyptus in Brazil. In Hawaii, CO(2) efflux from wood per unit biomass declined approximately 10x from age two to age five, twice as much as the decline in tree growth. The CO(2) efflux from wood in Brazil was 8-10x lower than that for comparable Hawaii trees with similar growth rates. Growth and maintenance respiration coefficients calculated from Hawaii wood CO(2) efflux declined with tree age and size (the growth coefficient declined from 0.4 mol C efflux mol C(-1) wood growth at age one to 0.1 mol C efflux mol C(-1) wood growth at age six; the maintenance coefficient from 0.006 to 0.001 micromol C (mol C biomass)(-1) s(-1) at 20 degrees C over the same time period). These results suggest interference with CO(2) efflux through bark that decouples CO(2) efflux from respiration. We also compared the biomass fractions and wood CO(2) efflux for the aboveground woody parts for 3- and 7-year-old trees in Hawaii to estimate how focusing measurements near the ground might bias the stand-level estimates of wood CO(2) efflux. Three-year-old Eucalyptus in Hawaii had a higher proportion of branches < 0.5 cm in diameter and a lower proportion of stem biomass than did 7-year-old trees. Biomass-specific CO(2) efflux measured at 1.4 m extrapolated to the tree could bias tree level estimates by approximately 50%, assuming no refixation from bark photosynthesis. However, the bias did not differ for the two tree sizes. Foliar respiration was identical per unit nitrogen for comparable treatments in Brazil and Hawaii (4.2 micromol C mol N(-1) s(-1) at 20 degrees C).

Stand-level patterns of carbon fluxes and partitioning in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation across a gradient of productivity, in São Paulo State, Brazil

Wood production represents a large but variable fraction of gross primary production (GPP) in highly productive Eucalyptus plantations. Assessing patterns of carbon (C) partitioning (C flux as a fraction of GPP) between above- and belowground components is essential to understand mechanisms driving the C budget of these plantations. Better knowledge of fluxes and partitioning to woody and non-woody tissues in response to site characteristics and resource availability could provide opportunities to increase forest productivity. Our study aimed at investigating how C allocation varied within one apparently homogeneous 90 ha stand of Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden) in Southeastern Brazil. We assessed annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP: stem, leaf, and branch production) and total belowground C flux (TBCF: the sum of root production and respiration and mycorrhizal production and respiration), GPP (computed as the sum of ANPP, TBCF and estimated aboveground respiration) on 12 plots representing the gradient of productivity found within the stand. The spatial heterogeneity of topography and associated soil attributes across the stand likely explained this fertility gradient. Component fluxes of GPP and C partitioning were found to vary among plots. Stem NPP ranged from 554 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with lowest GPP to 923 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with highest GPP. Total belowground carbon flux ranged from 497 to 1235 g C m(-2) year(-1) and showed no relationship with ANPP or GPP. Carbon partitioning to stem NPP increased from 0.19 to 0.23, showing a positive trend of increase with GPP (R(2) = 0.29, P = 0.07). Variations in stem wood production across the gradient of productivity observed at our experimental site were a result of the variability in C partitioning to different forest system components.

Phosphorus Nutrition of Forest Plantations: The Role of Inorganic and Organic Phosphorus

Fertilization with P is a common silvicultural practice in forest plantations where large and sustained growth responses frequently occur following P fertilization. Inorganic P is tightly sorbed in many forest soils and, consequently, labile P is low. Trees have evolved a variety of mechanisms to acquire P in soils with low P availability. This includes release of low molecular weight organic acids into the rhizosphere. Significant quantities of organic P also exist in the forest floor and mineral horizons of forest soils that can contribute to P nutrition of forests. There are several mechanisms whereby organic P in the forest floor and the mineral soil may become available to forest trees. These include uptake of organic P by mycorrhizae and mineralization of organic P.

Low temperature, IBA concentrations and optimal time for adventitious rooting of Eucalyptus benthamii mini-cuttings

Eucalyptus benthamii is a forest species of economic interest that has difficulty with seed production and also is considered to have difficulty with adventitious rooting using propagation techniques, such as cutting or mini-cutting. We aimed to assess the adventitious rooting percentage under different storage times in low temperatures and at various IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) concentrations to determine the optimal time of permanence for rooting Eucalyptus benthamii minicuttings in a greenhouse. Shoots collected from mini-stumps cultivated in a semi-hydroponic system were used to obtain the mini-cuttings. For the first experiment, the mini-cuttings were stored at 4°C for 0 (immediate planting), 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. The second experiment evaluated the rooting dynamic to determine the optimal time of permanence for minicuttings in a greenhouse. The basal region of the mini-cutting was treated with various IBA solutions: 0 (free of IBA), 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 mg·L−1. Every seven days (0 (immediate planting), 7, 14, 21 and 28 days), destructive sampling of the mini-cuttings was performed to evaluate the histology of the adventitious rooting. Eucalyptus benthamii minicuttings should be rooted immediately after the collection of the shoots. The 2,000 mg·L−1 IBA concentration induced a greater speed and percentage of adventitious rooting, and an interval of 35 to 42 days was indicated for permanence of the mini-cuttings in the greenhouse. Exposure to low temperature induced adventitious root formation with diffuse vascular connections.