Effects of the cutting of above ground parts on marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus Muell. Arg.) survival

The research was conducted at the EMBRAPA - National Center for Goat Research, in Sobral, Ceara, Brazil, to evaluate the effects of cutting of the above ground parts in relation at regrowth height of marmeleiro on its survival, persistence, regrowth vigor and subsequent production of herbaceous understory phytomass. The plants were cut at 10.0 cm above ground, when the regrowth reached four different heights (25, 50, 75 and 100 cm). The cutting treatments were applied on plots of 5 m x 30 in. The evaluation of the mortality of the plants was accomplished by the count of the total number of dead and alive plants of the experimental plots. Data were analyzed by means of the chi-square nonparametric test. It was observed dependence between mortality of the plants and regrowth cutting, where all treatments were different. Best results were obtained when regrowth plants were cutting to a medium height of 75 cm, which decreased marmeleiro density by 96%. The reduction of density provided a significant increase on herbaceous understory phytomass in relation to control treatment.