Chapter 16: Peteribí (Cordia trichotoma), lapacho rosado (Handroanthus impetiginosus) and cebil colorado (Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil): three valuable species with incipient breeding programs

MARÍA VICTORIA GARCÍA; SARA BARTH; CHRISTIAN TARNOWSKI; JOSEFINA GRIGNOLA; ADRIÁN TRÁPANI; LUIS FORNES; MARÍA EUGENIA BARRANDEGUY; TILDA LEDESMA; GUSTAVO RODRÍGUEZ; PATRICIA SCHMID; VIRGINIA INZA; MARÍA CRISTINA SOLDATI; PABLO SARAVIA; EZEQUIEL BALDUCCI; GUADALUPE GALÍNDEZ

Low Intensity Breeding of Native Forest Trees in Argentina Genetic bases for their domestication and conservation

SPRINGER

Lugar: Switzerland; Año: 2021; p. 427 - 451

Like with other native species, the selective extraction, accecibility, agricultural frontier advance and urbanization progress, has drastically reduced the natural population existences of these species. Due to a very intense and extensive exploitation during the 20th century, most of their remnant forests currently present an open canopy, a disordered diametric structure and a sanitary condition from regular to bad.Peteribí (Cordia trichotoma (Vell.) Arráb. ex Steud.), lapacho rosado (Handroanthus impetiginosus (Mart. ex DC.) Mattos) and cebil colorado (Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan var. cebil (Griseb.) Altschul) are locally known for their multipurpose applications, although their importance and uses vary according to the areas or regions from which they come from.The genus Cordia (Boraginaceae) comprises 300 species of pantropical distribution, with centers of diversity in America and Africa. Four species of this genus are distributed in Argentina, out of which two are common to the NE and NW regions of the country. These species, Cordia americana and C. trichotoma, are of great value in forestry, as they provide quality timber, for which they are called noble species. Cordia trichotoma is a species with disjunct distribution, that appears in both argentinean rainforests. In the Alto Paraná Rainforest, it forms continuous forests occupying clearings produced mainly by anthropic disturbances, and it is known as "Peteribí? or ?Loro negro". In the Yungas Rainforest, it is locally called "Afata" and forms monospecific forests in the first stages of ecological succession, but it is also found in the mixed mature forest stratum. Cordia species are pioneer trees but also show shade tolerance, which would favor their consociation with other species in agroforestry systems.The related genera Handroanthus and Tabebuia (Bignoniaceae) are present in both Argentinean subtropical rainforests. Among the various species that exist of these genera in Argentina, the most important from a forestry point of view is H. impetiginosus, which is distributed in the North West of Argentina (NWA), across a narrow strip along the piedmont, slopes and low mountains of the Yungas, occupying an altitudinal range between 300 and 1,300 m asl. It is wellknown for its high valuable wood in the domestic market, together with that of Cedrela spp. and Myroxylon peruiferum. Its wood is very appreciated for making floors, opening frames and furniture, especially those coming from the northern region of the Yungas. The wood resistance makes it suitable for outdoor use as decks and garden furniture. This species is also highly appreciated for urban forestry and landscaping as it offers stunning flowering in different pinkish shades. In addition, the phenolic compound "lapachol" obtained from its bark has medicinal use, including a potencial cancer treatment.Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil is a pioneer leguminous species, widely distributed in subtropical forests and transition areas of South America. It grows on rocky hillsides in well-drained soils, often in the riverside. The geographic distribution comprises tropical and temperate countries from South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. In the Yungas Rainforest it is distributed in the Selva Pedemontana community at the piedmont of the Andes, and extends towards the ecotone with the western Chaco, where it also appears frequently. In the northernmost boundary of the Yungas, it can be found in an altitudinal range between 400 and 700 m asl, where it is a dominant species of the community called ?jungle of Calycophyllum multiflorum and Phyllostylon rhamnoides?. In the Selva Montana (the community of the Yungas between 700 and 1,500 m asl), it is present up to 1,200 m asl.In Argenitna the species is also present in the Alto Paraná Rainforest, at its southern boundary, being scanty in its north?northeast extreme. Given its abundance and wood hardness (0.98 g/cm3), it is currently in high demand for poles, sleepers, rural carpentry, floors, opening frames, bodywork, naval constructions and outdoor use. In addition, its bark contains tannins suitable for tannery. Given its greater existence in NWA, its exploitation is more accentuated in that region.