Is dry tolerance of Eucalyptus spp. clones affected by silviculture systems?

• Grant number: 22/10367-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Forestry
• Principal Investigator: Magali Ribeiro da Silva
• Grantee: Érica Talyta de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Eucalyptus wood is the main raw material that supplies the pulp and paper industries in the country. However, forest plantations are exposed to environmental factors that can become limiting, among them water deficit, which can be intensified by climate change. One of the indicators of water deficit in the plant is the leaf turgor loss point (TLP), with impacts on cellular structural integrity, metabolism and plant performance as a whole. The leaf water potential at the point of turgor loss is used to assess physiological drought tolerance and can be obtained with the pressure-volume curve technique. In this sense, it is important to know how different clones respond to water deficit and if the silvicultural system influences these responses. The research will be conducted in a 3x2x2 factorial scheme (3 clones, 2 silvicultural systems and 2 evaluation periods). Five replicates of each treatment will be used. Clones will be chosen for their distinct drought tolerance characteristics. The data collected will be analyzed using R Core Team software.