Caracterização de Populações de Tungue (Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) no do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The tung tree (Aleurites fordii) is a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family, adapted to temperate climate, needs about 350 to 400 chilling hours (below 7.2° C) for vegetative and flower buds differentiation after the winter. This species is cultivated in order to produce oil with has a very important feature which is quick drying, and is widely used in industrial paints and resins. Although this plant is present in the State of Rio Grande do Sul for over 50 years, information about the behavior of the tung tree are recent. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic and phonological performance of two populations of tung tree from seeds, in order to identify genotypes with traits of interest. Assessments occurred in four consecutive crops evaluating the agronomic, morphological and phenological characteristics. The results show variability of interest to all features. Genotypes with high yield potential, were identified some early genotypes considering the start of production, and genotypes that have greater need of heat or cold, two very important features for cultivation in Rio Grande do Sul.