VIABILITY OF THE USE OF AFRICAN MAHOGANY WITH CUPUASSU TREE IN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM (AFS)

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to study the behavior of cupuassu trees intercropped with African mahogany in order to define the viability of using these species in AFS and to evaluate the performance of African mahogany itself, aiming its application in reforestation projects. Both species were tested in the municipality of Tomé Açu - PA, between 2005 and 2016. In addition to these two species, banana and black pepper were also part of the AFS initially. Four levels of influence of mahogany on cupuassu trees were evaluated, defined by the proximity between plants. The vegetative development of both species was measured, as well as the production of eight harvests and the mortality rate of the cupuassu trees. The results showed that the competition exerted by African mahogany did not affect the vegetative development of cupuassu trees. In the productive phase, up to the fourth harvest, the competition was not harmful as it didn’t reduce production. However, from the fifth harvest on, cupuassu trees closest to African mahogany trees showed a significant reduction in fruit production and, from the sixth harvest on, all plants were affected, regardless of proximity. On the other hand, consistent vegetative development of African mahogany was observed, which allows its use in silvicultural projects in this region. We concluded that African mahogany had a negative influence on cupuassu trees. Further studies are needed to assess whether the development of African mahogany economically compensates for the decline in cupuassu production.

摘要 本研究旨在探究与非洲桃花心木（African Mahogany）间作的古布阿苏树（Cupuaçu）的生长表现，以明确这两个树种在农林业复合系统（Agroforestry System，AFS）中的应用可行性，并评估非洲桃花心木自身的生长表现，为其在再造林项目中的应用提供参考。试验于2005年至2016年间在巴西帕拉州托梅阿苏市开展。除上述两个树种外，初始的农林业复合系统中还包含香蕉与黑胡椒。本研究设置了4个非洲桃花心木对古布阿苏树的影响梯度，以植株间距作为划分依据。测定了两个树种的营养生长状况，同时统计了8次采收的果实产量以及古布阿苏树的死亡率。结果表明，非洲桃花心木产生的种间竞争并未对古布阿苏树的营养生长造成影响。在结果初期直至第4次采收阶段，种间竞争未产生不利影响，果实产量未出现下降。但自第5次采收起，与非洲桃花心木间距最小的古布阿苏树的果实产量出现显著降低；至第6次采收时，无论植株间距如何，所有古布阿苏树均受到了竞争影响。反观非洲桃花心木，其营养生长状况稳定，表明该树种可应用于本地区的造林项目。综上，非洲桃花心木对古布阿苏树存在负面影响。未来仍需开展进一步研究，以评估非洲桃花心木的种植收益能否弥补古布阿苏树产量下降带来的经济损失。