Forest inventory of the living collection Cuartón de Roig of INIFAT: its 2024 update

Abstract

The Institute for Fundamental Research on Tropical Agriculture “Alejandro de Humboldt” has several living collections, among which the Cuartón de Roig historical collection stands out. These collections are important for the ex situ conservation of vegetatively propagating species and species with recalcitrant seeds. The objective of the research is to update the forest inventory of this collection. The inventory included a phytosanitary evaluation and a search for the primary uses of each species. The recorded information was assembled into geographic information systems to obtain a map of the collection. They were recorded 135 trees belonging to 25 families, 58 genera and 66 species. The most abundant species are Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr.) and Melia azedarach Linn. The most represented families are Meliaceae, Myrtaceae and Fabaceae. It has three endemic species of great importance for the conservation of the plant diversity of Cuba: Cordia angiocarpa A. Rich, Juglans jamaicensis subsp. insularis (Griseb.) H. Schaarschm and Cordia dumosa Alain. The last two are critically endangered and vulnerable, respectively. Around the 60 % of the species present a good phytosanitary status and the main damages include the action of strangler plants, termites and human damage. The primary uses of the species are: plant with medicinal and cosmetic properties (31), for human food (23), ornamental plant (9), timber tree (13) and in agriculture (3).