The objective of this research was to evaluate the hybrid potential between E. grandis, E. urophylla and E. saligna clones from Aracruz Celulose S. A. with E. camaldulensis clones. To do so, six elite clones were crossed with ten E. camaldulensis clones, in a half-diallel mating design. The resulting hybrid combinations as well as the four check clones were carried out from September to October 2001, in three sites, Aracruz and São Mateus, in the Espírito Santo State, and Caravelas, Bahia State, in a completely randomized block design with single plant plots and 40 replicates. Two years later, the circumference at breast height and the wood basic density were measured. The means were submitted to a diallel analysis, according to the Griffing (1956) method, adapted by Geraldi and Miranda Filho (1988). It was observed that the diallel crossings were promising for both the wood volume and wood quality gain. The general combining ability was responsible for most of the variations between the hybrids.
Eucalyptus; breeding; combining ability
