Today is Friday, May 10, 2024.
After 5 months of work, researchers from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) managed to clone the largest Araucaria tree in Paraná.
These are trees of the Araucaria angustifolia species, a species threatened with extinction and also known as Brazilian pine or Paraná pine.
Back to the tree in question, “Queen of Araucárias from Paraná” according to the Cruz Machado Municipality portal where it was located, it was more than 750 years old, 42 meters high and fell in October 2023 after a strong windstorm.
The cloning effort was led by EMBRAPA researcher Ivar Wendling, who has numerous published works and projects, specifically on clonal forestry.
Cloning was done using the grafting technique, which requires access to shoots from the crown, which can originate so-called “branch” or “trunk” grafts. In other words, the characteristics of the plant that will emerge - either a “mini araucaria” or a “normal araucaria” - depends on where the sprout is taken.
Apparently, when the tree fell, there were inflorescences and pine cones forming, with many branches sprouting, but few trunks.
In any case, around 100 graftings were carried out and all of them are already sprouting, and the seedlings should be transplanted later, both in the same location and in other areas of the municipality of Cruz Machado.
That said, in addition to enriching Embrapa Florestas' Araucaria genetic bank, the genetics of the “Queen of Araucaria of Paraná” were preserved in several ways.
Click on the image below for EMBRAPA's full article on the cloning decision.
