Abstract

VILLAVICENCIO-GUTIERREZ, Eulalia Edith; MENDOZA-MORALES, Santiago  and  MENDEZ GONZALEZ, Jorge. Model for estimating Litsea parvifolia (Hemsl.) Mez. dry leaf biomass. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2020, vol.11, n.58, pp.112-133.  Epub June 17, 2020. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v11i58.642.

Litsea parvifolia is an ever-green shrub of the Lauraceae family whose foliar biomass is its main component. Its leaves are harvested and marketed in and around the southeastern region of Saltillo municipality, Coahuila State. Fresh, it has culinary and medicinal use; dry, it is used as condiment. In order to regulate its use and determining its stock, an allometric model was selected to estimate the dry foliar biomass and the elaboration of a production table of the standing shrubs was planned as well. Natural populations were evaluated, recording the total height (H, cm) and mean diameter (Dp, cm) of the shrub crown, considering all categories of height and cover of standing shrubs and dry leaf biomass (Bfs, g). Ten allometric models were evaluated using the PROC MODEL procedure in SAS, version 9.4. Dp and H are correlated with laurel Bfs. The Schumacher-Hall model in its non-linear form is statistically reliable (p <0.0001) as it records the best statistics, with presence of heteroscedasticity, corrected effect with a weighted regression with variance structure (Dp 2 H) -0.5 , obtaining an R 2 aj . of 0.82, S xy of 18.41 g and a CV of 44.93 %. The model can be used to estimate the production of Bfs in places with similar ecological characteristics to the study area.

Keywords : Allometry; biomass; dry leaf; forest management; non-timber; weighted regression.