Economic Assessment of Two Breeding Programs in Eucalyptus grandis

Abstract

Total world pulp production in 1980 was 128 million Mg, reaching 174 million Mg in 2012. One of the strategies adopted for meeting growing demand was increasing plantation productivity through breeding and improvement of the manufacturing process (m3/ha and Mg cellulose/ha increases). The objective of this work was assessing the increase generated by the use of genetic material resulting in two Eucalyptus grandis breeding programs conducted in Uruguay. Site preparation, plantation, maintenance and harvesting practices were surveyed through qualified informant interviewing in two production zones. In the West Litoral Zone, stocks studied were clonal stock (CS) and seedlings (S3586); in the Central Eastern Zone INIA first generation seed (I1) and Bañado de Medina (BM) seed. Genetic gain was measured using three parameters, wood volume (m3/ha), pulp weight (Mg/ha) and financial indicators Annual Forest Rent (AFR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). At age 10, comparing MC and S3586, the former shows an increase of 46 m3/ha of wood and 10.5 Mg/ha in cellulose. Between I1 and BM , the increases were 22.8 m3/ha and 4.6 Mg/ha respectively. At age 11, the RFA resulted in a 126 % increase of I1 compared to BM. The most suitable materials for non-integrated producers are the ones that produce largest volume, harvesting at the optimal financial age.