The economic importance of Spondias umbuzeiro has been increased in international market due to its exotic flavor and the ability to be used in juices, ice creams and other food preparation. For this reason, the knowledge of many aspects of this species is has been investigated by many researchers and also attracted the farmers interest. The aim of this research was to evaluate the development of umbu seedlings and to indicate the best stage of the seedling and also the more appropriate stage of the fork for grafting. Seeds were sown in wood beds with 1.5m wide10.0m long0.15m high, washed sand, and placed together and aligned in rows spaced 5.0cm apart. The following characteristics were evaluated: seedling size, leaves number, stem diameter at 5, 10 and 15cm from the soil, canopy and root fresh weight in the transplant date and also after 60, 120, 180 and 240 days after transplanting. The grafting technique studied consisted in a top bench grafting with seedlings from different origins and development stages. The efficiency of grafting technique was evaluated after 180 days after transplanting by observing the surviving plants. The experiments were carried out in a completely casualized design and the replicates made up of six plants per plot. It was concluded that from six months after transplanting the umbuzeiro seedlings can be grafted by using top cleft grafting. The efficiency of grafting technique reached 80% of all genotypes tested. The same results were observed considering plants after two months when the plants were already planting in a definitive place. The survival index decreased gradually when forks from plants older than six years were used.
Spondias tuberosa; umbu fruit; vegetative propagation
