Planting of Seedlings and Direct Seeding with Different Inputs in Pioneer Species in the Southeastern Amazon

Abstract

The main objectives of the study were to determine which was the best implantation of forest method between direct seeding and planting of seedlings, the use of Slow Release Fertilizer (SRF) and hydrogel in the pioneer species Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum and Senegalia polyphylla, and the use of morphometric indices, such as slenderness of trunk and canopy, to assist in growth evaluation. Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used as the main methods. The morphometric indices, plus the variables height, trunk and canopy diameter, provided complementary information on the morphological growth pattern of the plant. For both species, both direct seeding and planting of seedlings promoted good results in the growth variables, with the planting of seedlings showing better results in Senegalia, however, not enough statistical clarity for Schizolobium. Regarding inputs, the SRF promoted the best results and therefore this fertilizer was recommended for a complementary input in forest implantation.

Keywords:
hydrogel; slow release fertilizer; canopy slenderness; trunk slenderness; overhang index