THE SIZE OF Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze ENTERING INTO REPRODUCTIVE STAGES AS A BASIS FOR SEED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

Abstract

ABSTRACT In order to plant parana-pines (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) for seed production, as for any other forest management activity, planning is needed, especially because of the significant amount of waiting time between planting and seed collection. Consequently, there is a lack of basic ecological information. Several studies based on the demography of the A. angustifolia fail to divulge which sized individuals are reproductive. This paper investigated the relationship between the reproductive stage and the diameter at breast height (d.b.h.), and attempted to establish a size where a great portion of the individuals had already begun their reproductive process, a considerable step for subsidizing technical projects for seed production. Five study sites located in four municipalities in the state of Santa Catarina composed a total sample area of 31.6 ha. All A. angustifolia individuals with a height greater than 1.5 m within the sampled area were measured and classified according to their reproductive phase. A total of 1,843 individuals were obtained: 383 were male, and 299 were female. There was a significant relationship between the d.b.h. and the sexual maturity of the individuals. The reproductive process begins inside the DAP class of 15-20 cm, but only 8% of the individuals reproducing. In order to find a greater number of individuals in reproduction, a minimum d.b.h. of 35.2 cm is required. In conclusion, projects that produce araucaria nuts should consider this d.b.h. size to commence production. This species has great potential for agroforestry systems within the Araucaria Forests. This basic ecological information is also important for the construction of projects that use this species, and consequently may contribute to the conservation of this forest. This can be used as a study case for other forest species and ecosystems to explore the potential production of non-timber forest products of native resources.