Growth and adaptability of provenances and progenies of Pinus maximinoi h. E. Moore in northern Mozambique

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and adaptability of Pinus maximinoi provenances and progenies and to estimate the genetic variation that could be exploited in future breeding work. The company Floresta de Niassa Lda established a trial with four provenances and nineteen progenies in the Chimbonila district of northern Mozambique. The field trial was set up in a randomized block design with four repetitions and six-plant linear plots. At two, four and eight years of age, performance in total height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and survival were analysed. The results at eight years of age showed no significant variation between provenances for all variables analysed, and any of these provenances can be used for reforestation in northern Mozambique. The first group was composed of 9 (45%) of the best performing progenies, mostly from Yuscaran and San Jeronimo, and the second (last) group was composed of 11 (55%) of the worst performing progenies, mostly from Tatumbla and Coban. Most of the nine best classified progenies based on the predicted additive genetic effect and genetic gain belonged to Yuscaran and Tatumbla. On the other hand, most of the progenies at the level of the seventeen best classified individuals belonged to San Jeronimo and can be used for future breeding projects in northern Mozambique.