Final report : improving management practice for biomass (fruit) production from native stands of babassu palms and developing techniques for improving exploitation of this tropical plant resource

Babassu is a versatile plant which can be managed as a stable economic crop by both subsistence farmers and those involved in larger agro-industrial activities. For the rural poor, the palm provides not only an edible fruit, but a source of materials for weaving and wall construction. It is also the most important native source in Brazil of lauric oil, widely used in industry. This report describes fours studies conducted in Brazil to improve utilization of the babassu palm. (1) A brief report indicates that drying babassu fruit in a portable oven provides a rapid field technique for determining kernel to fruit ratio. (2) Ecophysiological stress-tolerance studies to explain the reason for babassu"s success in establishing itself in areas that have suffered accelerated deforestation and degradation find that babassu"s physiological defense mechanisms and efficient photosynthetic activity enable it to perform well under stress conditions characteristic of early successional sites throughout the humid tropics. (3) A study of seedling nutrient requirements shows that: early development of the palm is very slow; soil type affects early growth; fertilizers do not have a significant positive effect on seedling growth, but high doses can negatively affect both growth and biomass production; leafing rate follows the same pattern shown by adult plants, with few climatic effects; and, growth rates are very affected by cultural care in the nursery. (4) Research on establishing babassu in soils that have been degraded by deforestation due to logging and ranching concludes that babassu will succeed in establishing itself in degraded soils. Includes references.