We (Patricia Negreros Castillo and Carl Mize) have found that mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), one of the most valuable timber trees in the world, seed germinate and the resulting seedlings do well when sown in a slash and burn field during the last cropping year before abandonment (fallowing) of the field (1).  As mahogany seed require about 30 days to emerge, a high percentage of seed would be predated between the sowing date and the time of emergence (2).  As a result, many seed would need to be sown to get a reasonable number of established seedlings, and their distribution would likely be very irregular.

A solution would be to reduce the number of days between sowing and emergence.  Planting seedlings would be a solution, but the fields are often a considerable distance from any road, and 2 bagged seedlings weigh about 1 kg which is the weight of a bout 2000 mahogany seed. We think that by dampening the seed for some days before sowing, the days to emergence after sowing would be reduced and predation reduced.

We would like to communicate with individuals who know about planting seed that have been treated for extended periods of time before seeding and individuals with suggestions about what we might do.  We know that shading and moisture improve emergence. (3)

1 – Negreros-Castillo, P., I. Martinez-Salazar, C. Alvarez Aquino, A. Navarro Martinez, C.W. Mize. 2018. Survival and growth of Swietenia macrophylla seedlings from seeds sown into slash and burn fields in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Bois Et Forets Des Tropiques 336. 10 p.

2 – Negreros-Castillo, P., I. Martinez-Salazar, K.F. Kellner, C.W. Mize, R.K. Swihart, M.A. Navarro-Martinez. 2016. Bois Et Forets Des Tropiques 329. 10 p.

3 – Morris, M., P. Negreros-Castillo, and C. Mize.  2000.  Sowing date, shade, and irrigation affect big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King).  Forest Ecology and Management 132:173-181. 

Patricia Negreros Castillo -  patri_nc@yahoo.com

Carl Mize – carlmize@gmail.com