CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE SELECTION OF PARENTS OF Corymbia citriodora AIMING TO THE PRODUCTION OF WOOD AND ESSENTIAL OIL

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify the most important characteristics for the selection of parent trees of Corymbia citriodora by estimating genetic dissimilarity and linear correlation degree for wood and essential oil production. This study was conducted in experimental areas of the company JAMP Florestal -located in Dueré-TO -and at Universidade Federal do Tocantins (Federal University of Tocantins), campus Gurupi, from January to April 2014, in 19 parent trees based on 19 characteristics. With the data, the following steps were performed: clustering through Tocher’s optimization method; calculation of genetic dissimilarity between parents; quantification of relative contribution; and verification of correlation degree existing among the characteristics evaluated through Pearson correlation using the program GENES. The characteristics essential oil yield and heartwood diameter presented the major contributions for genetic dissimilarity. Thus, it must be prioritized for wood production: trees with lower values in crown height and sapwood diameter; and trees with higher values in total height, commercial height, diameter at breast height and stump diameter. For essential oil production, it must be prioritized trees with lower values in leaf width, bark thickness and sapwood diameter; and trees with higher values in leaf nitrogen content, leaf potassium content, total green biomass and total dry biomass, essential oil yield, essential oil content and crown volume.