Provenance and family variation in growth rate, stem straightness, and foliar mineral concentration in Vochysia guatemalensis

Vochysia guatemalensis Sm., J.D. is a fast-growing tropical rain forest tree, native from southern Mexico to Panama. It is being increasingly planted in Costa Rica, principally in smallholder timber plantations. In 1990, a provenance/progeny trial was established in a wet lowland zone of Costa Pica. At 42 months, the two Costa Rican provenances included grew significantly faster than a Honduran and a Guatemalan source, while the Guatemalan source had the best stem form. The use of local genetic material is recommended in Costa Rica, as its stem straightness, although slightly inferior to that of the Guatemalan source, is acceptable. At 58 months, there was significant provenance variation in foliar Ca concentration, which was inversely correlated with provenance growth rates. The provenances did not differ significantly in concentrations of other foliar minerals. Within-provenance additive genetic variation and heritabilities in growth traits were low, particularly in the case of the Guatemalan provenance. Additive genetic variation and heritability of stem straightness were moderate. The stem straightness of the plus-tree progenies was not different from that of the control, indicating that plus-tree selection for stem straightness had been ineffective.