Micronutrient Modeling for Mimosa scabrella Bentham in the Curitiba Metropolitan Region, Parana State, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this research was to model the micronutrient content for Mimosa scabrella Bentham
above-ground biomass, aiming to obtain equations to estimate micronutrient content using tree dimensions as
independent variables. Data came from 25 trees sampled in native Mimosa scabrella stands in the northern
Curitiba metropolitan region, Parana state, Brazil. The trees were cut down and their components were separated
in: leaves, branches < 4 cm, branches ≥ 4 cm, stem wood and stem bark. From a sample of each component it
was obtained dry matter and micronutrients contents. After fitting and testing several mathematical models, it
was verified that the micronutrient content equations did not present acceptable performance, except for copper
in all tree components and iron in tree bole components and above-ground biomass. In some cases, using bole
and crown dimensions, age and dominant height as independent variables improved the micronutrient content
equations. Better results could be found if the sampled population presented homogeneous characteristics, like
unique site or age class.