Biomass and carbon stock in progenies of cupuaçuzeiros according to age

Abstract

Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum Schum) is a small tree species that belongs to the family Malvaceae and is native to the Amazon. Forests capture and fix carbon in their components. Knowledge about carbon fixation in cupuaçu is incipient. The objective was to determine the biomass and the carbon stock in the components of two progenies of cupuaçu trees of different ages. The study was developed at the experimental station of Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, in Belém-Pará, Brazil. Seventy individuals were selected from the progenies PMI 186 and PMI 215, annually for seven years, to determine biomass and carbon stock in four plant components: stalk, leaves, primary branches and secondary branches. The mean biomass for stalk, leaves, primary branches and secondary branches were, respectively, 1352.5; 2412.0; 1748.5 and 2672.1 kg ha-1. In the same order, the average carbon stock was 507.9; 892.3; 647.6 and 988.9 kg ha-1. Cupuaçuzeiro presents low carbon stock in relation to other Amazonian species, but this plant can be adopted for cultivation because of the economic benefits that this activity generates.