Phytosociological and dendrometric parameters in cacao shadowing management: contributions to the productive conservation of the cabruca agroforestry system. In: Agrotrópica v. 34 n. 1 p. 49-58, 2022.

Abstract

The high percentage of Atlantic Forest remnants in the Cacau region of Bahia is attributed to the cocoa cabruca agroforestry system, which is still in financial crisis, jeopardizing the conserved ecosystem assets and services. The recovery of cacao farming in the south of Bahia is directly related to the management of the cacao tree and the management of its shading is a determining factor. In order to support the management of shading from the point of view of productive conservation, phytosociological and dendrometric parameters were used to evaluate the structure and interferences in the overgrowth, in a 1.4 ha area of cabruca cocoa, on the Bela farm. Cruz, Municipality of Barro Preto, Bahia, Brazil, In the pre-management period, 30 tree species were inventoried, distributed in 20 families, with basal area (AB) of 17.15 m2 /ha, commercial volume (Vc) of 128.14 m3 /ha, Margalef Index (MDg) equal to 6.33; after thinning and planting (post-management), 49 tree species remained, distributed in 18 families, with AB = 16.09 m2 /ha, Vc = 112.05 m3 /ha and QM = 1:3.6, DMg = 7 ,03. The results, based on current legislation, allow us to conclude that the area under study is a Cabruca Agroforestry System that can be legally and technically managed; the interference provided environmental gains (QMpre = 1:3.23 and after selective thinning and planting of trees QMpost = 1:3.48) without any loss in species diversity; based on the precepts of productive conservation, there was assertiveness in the proposal to adapt the shading, with an increase in Wealth and Uniformity. The Jentsch Mixing Coefficient (QM), the Margalef (DMg) and Brillouin (HB) indices have adequate characteristics and contribute satisfactorily to decision-making in the management of cabruca cocoa shading.