Modelos de crecimiento de genotipos de Hevea brasiliensis en campos clonales de la Orinoquía colombiana

In forest species, mathematical models have been useful for describing growth, development, biomass production, and carbon sequestration. However, the growth of Hevea brasiliensis in the Orinoquia region has not yet been characterized using models validated from field data. In this study, four growth models were evaluated and growth curve parameters and absolute growth rate (AGR) were calculated in the clonal fields of the La Libertad Research Center (Villavicencio, Meta) and the Taluma Experimental Farm (Puerto López, Meta) of Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA) to describe the growth pattern of seven clones of the CDC, FDR, MDF, and PMB series and the FX 3864 and RRIM 600 controls. At 8 years of age, the logistic function was identified as the best-fitting growth model. In the clonal fields of La Libertad and Taluma, clones FDR 5788 and PMB1 exhibited the largest trunk circumferences (69.89 and 57.47 cm) and higher AGR (10.92 and 9.63 cm per year), reaching their maximum growth rate (MGRs) at 3.9 and 3.7 years, respectively. The earliest maturing clones were RRIM 600 and CDC 312, with MGRs at 3.46 and 3.4 years, respectively. These findings provide critical insights into the growth dynamics of rubber tree clones and offer valuable guidance for the management and performance evaluation of rubber plantations in the Colombian Orinoquia.