Pinus merkusii, unsuitable for plantations in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Two years after being planted in the field, Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis showed superior height growth performance to Pinus merkusii. The average growth of the fastest provenance of P. merkusii was only 25% of the average of P. caribaea var. hondurensis, which has demonstrated its good performance on several occasions before. The insular ecotype of P. merkusii grew taller in two years than the continental ecotype, which is still at the grass stage.