Growth of Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glassman after rescue and relocation in an urban conservation unit

ABSTRACT

The Atlantic Forest is a biome constantly threatened by human disturbances. The suppression of vegetation by road works highlights the need for conservation projects for the species that occur there. The success of rescuing and relocating plants, such as the Syagrus romanzoffiana palm, can contribute to the conservation of these species. The objective of this work was to study the growth of S. romanzoffiana seedlings rescued from areas of suppression of the “Rodoanel Mário Covas” - North Section - and transplanted in natural areas of the Cantareira State Park, São Paulo, SP state. Measurements of height, stem diameter, number of leaves and clod volume of seedlings were obtained. The transplant was carried out in three light conditions after being separated into three clod volume classes and three crown diameter classes and observed for one year. The percentage of survival increase in height, crown diameter, number of leaves and photosynthetic pigments were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 x 3 x 3 factorial scheme (luminosity x crown diameters x clod volumes) with three replications of five plants each. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and the means compared to each other using the Tukey test (5%). Survival was over 80% in all environments. There was greater growth, mainly regarding the stem diameter, in the small clearing. The quantification of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, showed higher pigments content for plants kept in the shade. As for the chlorophyll a/b ratio, the results showed a greater relationship in plants kept in shade, with increasing values up to 12 months. It can then be concluded that S. romanzoffiana has little restriction on the relocation environment, but with preference for small clearings, and it is unnecessary that they are relocated with large clod.

Keywords:
Arecaceae; Plant rescue; Plant relocation; Compensatory measures