Retractable cover on the growth of cloned cuttings of eucalyptus

Abstract

The successful  forest implementation depends, in large part, of the performance of cutting answering to changes in nursery environment. This study had as objective evaluate the eucalyptus cuttings growth and quality, answering the use of retractable cover on the growth area. The experiment was conducted from April to July 2008, constituting a completely randomized design in a 2 x 6 factorial schem, in two locations (one with the retractable cover and the other without a retractable cover) and with six different genetic materials. Were evaluated the characteristics of shoot height, stem diameter and dry weights of roots, shoot and total of cuttings. The results indicated that the use of retractable cover positively influenced the eucalyptus cuttings growth, which exhibited highest average of height and increasing in root and total biomass, for the most tested clones, that contributed to the development of the plants, which showed good quality on the 55th day.