Avaliação do crescimento da castanheira-da-amazônia (Bertholletia excelsa) em um plantio experimental no sul do Amapá

Abstract

The Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) is a species of high ecological and socioeconomic importance, widely used in forest restoration initiatives in the Amazon. Given the need to recover degraded areas and the scarcity of regional information on the initial performance of the species, this study aimed to evaluate the growth and survival of Bertholletia excelsa seedlings in an experimental pure planting system in southern Amapá. The research was conducted in the municipality of Laranjal do Jari, in an area with a history of environmental degradation, involving the monitoring of 125 seedlings distributed in five blocks. Evaluations took place throughout 2025, in four seasonal field campaigns, two during the dry season (October and December) and two during the rainy season (February and April). Seedling growth was measured using the Monthly Growth Index (MGI) and the Average Monthly Increment (AMI), calculated from variations in diameter at ground level, in addition to analyzing the survival rate. The results indicated that the greatest growth increments occurred during the rainy season, highlighting the positive influence of water availability on seedling development. Conversely, during the dry season, reductions in growth and increased mortality were observed, associated with water stress and high temperatures. Despite these limitations, the species showed adaptability to adverse conditions, with partial stand recovery after the return of the rains and corrective replanting. It is concluded that Bertholletia excelsa has potential for establishment in pure planting systems in degraded areas, provided that management strategies are adopted that consider climatic seasonality, contributing to forest restoration actions in southern Amapá.