scholarly journals Effect of Stem Diameter, Genetics, and Wood Properties on Stem Cracking in Norway Spruce

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauls Zeltiņš ◽  
Juris Katrevičs ◽  
Arnis Gailis ◽  
Tiit Maaten ◽  
Endijs Bāders ◽  
...  

The choice of seed material (genetics) is one of the tools that can improve adaptation to the changing climate. Insufficient adaptation can result in a number of potential risks, including stem cracking. The goal of this study is to assess the influence of genetics and wood properties on stem cracking in Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst). The study was conducted on a 35-year-old provenance trial in Eastern Latvia. Stem cracks were assessed using a six-score scale. Tree-ring parameters, i.e., latewood proportion, maximum and mean density, mean earlywood, and latewood density were analysed. The overall incidence of stem cracking was 23.5%, varying between 0% and 79% at a family mean level. Heritability of stem cracking was low, ca., two times lower than for the diameter at breast height (DBH): h2 = 0.09 and 0.21, respectively. There were non-significant family and provenance effects on the occurrence of stem cracks, and weak family mean correlations between DBH, and the proportion of trees with any stem cracks or severe stem cracks. Overall, larger trees were more prone to cracking irrespective of provenance or family. Cracked trees had lower wood density parameters than unaffected trees, yet the latewood proportion was similar. Silvicultural treatments or selection to improve wood density could be suggested to reduce the risk of stem cracking.

2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Markussen ◽  
A. Tusch ◽  
B. R. Stephan ◽  
M. Fladung

AbstractThe identification of AFLP markers and their subsequent conversion to SCAR-markers linked to wood density of Norway Spruce (Picea abies L [Karst.]) is described for the first time. In AFLP-analyses, 102 different primer enzyme combinations were screened in a bulked segregant approach comparing individuals with high and low wood density. A total of 107 polymorphic AFLP fragments were obtained between the DNA-pools. Twenty-three markers were selected for further analyses to verify their linkage to wood density based on individuals used for pool constitution and additional unrelated clonal material. For 15 markers, a significant linkage to wood density was confirmed by a two-sided Fisher’s-exact test. Four markers were converted into SCAR markers and validated for plant material assayed for wood density by X-ray microdensitometry. For each marker a monomorphic band was obtained using sets of nested primers or restriction site-specific primers (RSS), which include the AFLP-restriction recognition sites. For two markers that are linked to high wood density, a separation from unlinked size homologous marker-alleles was realized by a PCR-restriction approach. Validation of these markers in different full-sib families confirmed their usability to separate the classes for low and high wood density of Picea abies.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohama Puentes Rodriguez ◽  
Helena Puhakka-Tarvainen ◽  
Ossi Pastinen ◽  
Matti Siika-aho ◽  
Leila Alvila ◽  
...  

The structure of softwoods, which confers resistance to degradation through hydrolysis and decay, currently limits their use for the production of biofuels. However, since wood is very heterogeneous, it is possible that differences in wood properties within and between trees could differentially affect its processability. In this research, heartwood (inner) and sapwood (outer) from Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) clones were enzymatically hydrolyzed by Trichoderma viride cellulases after concentrated acid pretreatment. Wood sections with two particle sizes were compared based on their susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis, evaluated by assaying the formation of hydrolysis products and measured as reducing sugar yield (RSY). We also studied the relationship between RSY and the susceptibility to Heterobasidion parviporum wood decay and whether these traits are reflected in wood density and yield. Wood from the outer section produced more RSY with higher glucan but lower lignin content than wood from the inner section. Furthermore, susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis was positively correlated with H. parviporum wood decay, while both processes were negatively correlated with wood density. Our results revealed the importance of clonal trials for identifying suitable lignocellulosic biomass when considering wood properties and indicate that potential genotypes for the production of biofuels are not necessarily the most productive.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Puentes Rodriguez ◽  
A. Zubizarreta Gerendiain ◽  
A. Pappinen ◽  
H. Peltola ◽  
P. Pulkkinen

In forest breeding, growth has been used as the main selection trait in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), whereas wood properties or resistance to pathogens have been taken as secondary traits. We aimed to investigate, in laboratory conditions, the rate of wood decay caused by Heterobasidion parviporum (Fr.) Niemelä & Korhonen (strains 5 and 7) in 20 Norway spruce clones. We also studied if, on average, growth, wood density, and fibre properties differed in the most and least decayed clones as well as from pith to bark. After 6 months of incubation, strain 7 effected significantly higher wood decay than strain 5 (mean 16.9% and 1.7%, respectively). The difference between the five most decayed and five least decayed clones by strain 7 was also statistically significant (P < 0.05). Moreover, regardless of clone or strain, the wood decay was highest near the pith and lowest near the bark, which is the opposite for wood density and fibre length and width. However, neither wood density nor fibre properties explained, statistically, the differences in average wood decay and decay from pith to bark. On the other hand, we could identify clones that simultaneously provided high wood quantity and relatively high wood density and low decay rate.


1995 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-478
Author(s):  
Y. H. Chui

Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] is one of the major non-native softwood species in the Maritimes. A project was undertaken to evaluate the grade yields and mechanical properties of Norway spruce. The project also provided comparative information on the wood quality of two Norway spruce provenances from Germany and Poland. Four plantations were selected for the study with two of these plantations containing trees of known provenances. One plantation was mature and the other three were juvenile. In total, 530 pieces of lumber and the same number of matched small clear specimens were tested for bending properties. Prior to testing, the lumber was visually graded according to both British and Canadian specifications. Quality of lumber varied significantly between sites. Lumber from the Polish provenance had slightly better mechanical properties than that from trees of the German provenance. Compared with published information, the plantation-grown Norway spruce had lower clear wood bending properties and specific gravity than primary eastern Canadian spruce species and balsam fir, and natural Norway spruce grown in Europe. Key words: Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.], wood quality, bending properties, grade yield


The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1817-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Wilson ◽  
K Anchukaitis ◽  
L Andreu-Hayles ◽  
E Cook ◽  
R D’Arrigo ◽  
...  

In north-western North America, the so-called divergence problem (DP) is expressed in tree ring width (RW) as an unstable temperature signal in recent decades. Maximum latewood density (MXD), from the same region, shows minimal evidence of DP. While MXD is a superior proxy for summer temperatures, there are very few long MXD records from North America. Latewood blue intensity (LWB) measures similar wood properties as MXD, expresses a similar climate response, is much cheaper to generate and thereby could provide the means to profoundly expand the extant network of temperature sensitive tree-ring (TR) chronologies in North America. In this study, LWB is measured from 17 white spruce sites ( Picea glauca) in south-western Yukon to test whether LWB is immune to the temporal calibration instabilities observed in RW. A number of detrending methodologies are examined. The strongest calibration results for both RW and LWB are consistently returned using age-dependent spline (ADS) detrending within the signal-free (SF) framework. RW data calibrate best with June–July maximum temperatures (Tmax), explaining up to 28% variance, but all models fail validation and residual analysis. In comparison, LWB calibrates strongly (explaining 43–51% of May–August Tmax) and validates well. The reconstruction extends to 1337 CE, but uncertainties increase substantially before the early 17th century because of low replication. RW-, MXD- and LWB-based summer temperature reconstructions from the Gulf of Alaska, the Wrangell Mountains and Northern Alaska display good agreement at multi-decadal and higher frequencies, but the Yukon LWB reconstruction appears potentially limited in its expression of centennial-scale variation. While LWB improves dendroclimatic calibration, future work must focus on suitably preserved sub-fossil material to increase replication prior to 1650 CE.


2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Gryc ◽  
P. Horáček

The study was aimed to assess the integral value that determines wood properties &minus; wood density at a moisture content of 0% and 12%. The wood density was researched in a sample tree with the presence of reaction compression wood. The density was determined for individual zones (CW, OW, SWL and SWR). The zone where compression wood (CW) is present has a higher density than the remaining zones. On the basis of the acquired data, 3D models were created for individual zones; they describe the variability of wood density along the stem radius and stem height. The influence of the radius seems to be a statistically highly significant factor. The wood density is significantly higher in samples with the presence of compression wood. When the proportion of compression wood in the sample was 80%, the wood density was 1.5 times higher compared to wood without compression wood.


IAWA Journal ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert Wimmer ◽  
Michael Grabner

This paper presents an analysis of 16 anatomical variables measured on 20 spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] from sites in the managed forest district Seyde, Eastern Ore Mountains, south of Dresden, Germany. Ring width and latewood proportion did not show significant relationships with monthly climatic data, whereas maximum density, latewood cell-wall proportion and latewood density were highly correlated with temperature and precipitation. The climatic signals expressed in resin duct density, ray height, tracheid length and microfibril angles were less pronounced. Of 16 tree-ring parameters, densitometry – as an indirect measure of xylem anatomy – has again shown its great potential to record climatic conditions.


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