Selection and phenotypic divergence in pau de balsa of different origins

Pau de balsa is a forest species that is native to the Amazon and stands out for its rapid growth, being an option for a productive and profitable activity. The objective of this study was to select phenotypically superior pau de balsa trees and verify the dissimilarity between them and their respective origins in order to identify individuals for wood production. Three distinct populations trees in plantations of pau de balsa implanted in January 2011 in the municipality of Guarantã do Norte, Mato Grosso, Brazil, were evaluated as to their characteristics of commercial importance. Among the trees evaluated, highlight the genotype A09 as a candidate for the matrix in breeding programs of the species due to its superiority in the characteristics of diameter at breast height and total height. Genotypes A09 and IF03 are the most genetically distant and S02 and S09 the most similar. The principal component analysis explained 81.24% of all the variance of the characteristics analyzed in the first two variables. With the results obtained, it was possible to identify the superior characteristics of the Ecuadorian genotypes A01, A09 and A14; the first two present good characteristics for wood production, and the third presents the lowest basic density of wood.