Genetic variability of Cedrela odorata Linnaeus: results of early performance of provenances and families from Mesoamerica grown in association with coffee

Cedrela odorata Linnaeus is a highly valued forest species, chiefly because of its high quality wood. It has been severely extracted in natural forest and is considered endangered in Mesoamerica. Plantations of the species are difficult to establish because of the severe attack of the shootborer Hypsipyla grandella (Zeller) Lep., Pyralidae. Due to the wide range of distribution of the species and its high morphological variability, there are possibilities of obtaining provenances/families of good growth, which are more resistant to the attack of the shootborer. We studied the early performance of 115 families of 21 Mesoamerican provenances of the endangered species C. odorata when grown in association with coffee. The results present a new way to conserve genetic resources and their efficient use. All the variables studied, provenance, family and coffee growing conditions, were highly significant for the performance of C. odorata. The provenances that tended to produce fewer shoots (re-sprouting of the terminal bud after attack) which is desirable to maintain a good form of the tree were Gualaca, Pac?fico Sur and Tul?m. The families that presented the best performance in diameter were 6240 (PZ), 6207(PS), 6121(Tal), 78 (Almirante), and 745 (Gualaca). The growth of these families was in a range of 35–37 mm per year in diameter. The best families had a very good growth in height, of up to 4 m per year. The coffee conditions that provided the best environment for the growth of C. odorata were adult coffee bushes, with the trees planted between the coffee rows. The attack of the shoot borer insect H. grandella was also lower in the adult coffee conditions than in recently planted or pruned coffee. The number of shoots that re-sprouted following the attack of the shoot borer was significantly lower in the blocks where C. odorata was planted within the coffee rows, because of the strong lateral competition between the C. odorata trees and the coffee branches. Agroforestry systems using C. odorata, as shade for coffee can be a good economical option for conservation of endangered populations of this important species.