Relación de los factores ambientales con la productividad de Eucalyptus globulus en los Andes norperuanos

Abstract

The South American Andes are a group of mountains that extend across the continent from north to south, generating a diversity of climates. The species of the genus Eucalyptus have a high growth rate and adaptability. Eucalyptus globulus has been installed on many slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes above 3,000 meters of altitude (Cajamarca - Peru), but its growth and productive viability are unknown. The objectives of this study were i) to determine the season quality of Eucalyptus globulus above 3,000 meters, ii) to evaluate the relationship between physiographic and edaphic variables on growth and productive viability, and iii) to evaluate the potential effect of altitude on growth. Station quality was determined by estimation of the Site Index, using three base growth models (Bertalanffy-Richards, Hossfeld and Korf) and two derivation methods (Algebraic Differences - ADA and Generalized Algebraic Differences - GADA). The relationship between environmental factors and Site Index was determined using the Spearman correlation coefficient. The potential effect of altitude was evaluated by comparing station quality curves. It was determined that the dynamic equation derived from the Bertalanffy-Richards model and GADA best explained the variability of H (96.7%). The SI was well correlated with distance to water bodies and to a lesser degree with solar radiation, effective depth and base saturation. In addition, slow growth was evidenced in the initial stage of the plantation due to the effect of altitude, generating low yields.