Wood Property Variation Among Forty-Eight Families of American Sycamore
Keywords:
Wood quality, specific gravity, fiber length, moisture content, progeny test, growth rate, <i>Platanus occidentalis</i> LAbstract
American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) progeny from forty-eight half-sib families representing five geographic seed sources were analyzed at the end of the fifth growing season for variation in wood properties and growth rate. Stem analysis revealed that specific gravity increased towards the top of the tree while fiber length first increased and then decreased as a function of height within the stem. Diameter, height, volume, specific gravity, fiber length, and moisture content showed significant differences between families. Height and moisture content were the only traits that did not exhibit significant variation due to seed source. Wood properties exhibited considerably less variation than did the growth parameters. However, wood properties did exhibit a larger component of variance due to family effects than did the growth parameters. Diameter, height, and volume were positively correlated with specific gravity and fiber length.References
Belanger, R. P. 1973. Volume and weight tables for plantation-grown sycamore. USDA For. Serv. Res. Paper SE-107. Southeast. For. Exp. Sta., Asheville, NC.nBergman, S. T. 1949. Lengths of hardwood fibers and vessel segments. Tappi32(1):494-498.nCannon, G. P. 1973. Specific gravity variation in plantation-grown trees of Platanus occidentalis L. M.S. thesis, University of Georgia, Athens.nDinwoodie, J. M. 1961. Tracheid and fiber length in timber: A review of the literature. Forestry34:125-144.nDuff, G. H., and N. J. Nolan. 1953. Growth and morphogenesis in the Canadian forest species. I. The control of cambial and apical activity in Pinus resinosa Ait. Can. J. Bot.31:471-513.nEchols, R. M. 1958. Variation in tracheid length and wood density in geographic races of Scots pine. Bull. No. 64. Yale Univ. School of Forestry, New Haven, CT.nFarmer, R. E., Jr. 1973. Decision making for development and use of genetically improved hardwoods. J. For.71(2):75-78.nFranklin, G. L. 1946. A rapid method of softening wood for microtome sectioning. Trop. Woods.88:35-36.nHuber, D. A., and B. Bongarten. 1981. Specific gravity as a selection criterion in sycamore. Pages 320-327 in Proc. 16th South. For. Tree Improv. Conf., Blacksburg, VA, May 27-28.nKellison, R. C., and B. J. Zobel. 1971. Wood specific gravity and moisture content of five hardwood species of the southern United States. Paper No. 3408. North Carolina State University Agriculture Experiment Station, Raleigh.nLand, S. B., Jr. 1981a. Genetic variation, heritabilities, and selection strategies for early growth of sycamore in the gulf south. Pages 123-135 in Proc. 16th South. For. Tree Improv. Conf., Blacksburg, VA, May 27-28.nLand, S. B., Jr. 1981b. Stand characteristics and phenotypic variation for sycamore in the southern United States. Tech. Bull. No. 115, Mississippi Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, Mississippi State.nLand, S. B., Jr., and J. C. Lee. 1981. Variation in sycamore wood specific gravity in the south. Wood Sci.13(3):166-170.nLand, S. B., Jr., S. G. Dicke, G. A. Tuskan, and P. E. Patterson. 1984. Genetic, site, and within-tree variation in specific gravity and moisture content of young sycamore trees. Tappi (in press).nLarson, P. R. 1962. A biological approach to wood quality. Tappi45(6):443-448.nLee, J. C. 1972. Natural variation in wood properties of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.). Ph.D. dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.nNebgen, R. J. 1980. Variation in, inheritance of, and correlations between a number of growth and form traits in three sycamore populations. M.S. thesis, Texas A& University, College Station.nOleson, P. O. 1973. The influence of the compass direction on the basic density of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and its importance for sampling for estimating the genetic value of plus trees. For. Tree Improv. No. 6. Arboretet. Akademisk Forlag, Kobenhavn.nPatterson, P. E. 1981. Genetic variation in wood and bark specific gravity of five-year-old sycamore in the gulf south. M.S. thesis, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State.nSchmitt, D., and J. R. Wilcox. 1969. Sycamore variation in the lower Mississippi Valley. USDA For. Serv. Res. Note SO-91. So. For. Exp. Sta., New Orleans, LA.nTaylor, F. W. 1969. Variation in wood properties of sycamore. Res. Rep. No. 7, Mississippi State University Forest Products Utilization Laboratory, Mississippi State.nWahlgren, H. E., A. C. Hart, and R. R. Maeglin. 1966. Estimating specific gravity of Maine conifers. USDA For. Serv. Res. Paper FPL-61 For. Prod. Lab., Madison, WI.nWebb, C. D., R. P. Belanger, and R. G. McAlpine. 1973. Family differences in early growth and wood specific gravity of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.). Pages 213-227 in Proc. 12th South. For. Tree Improv. Conf., Baton Rouge, LA, June 12-13.n
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
The copyright of an article published in Wood and Fiber Science is transferred to the Society of Wood Science and Technology (for U. S. Government employees: to the extent transferable), effective if and when the article is accepted for publication. This transfer grants the Society of Wood Science and Technology permission to republish all or any part of the article in any form, e.g., reprints for sale, microfiche, proceedings, etc. However, the authors reserve the following as set forth in the Copyright Law:
1. All proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights.
2. The right to grant or refuse permission to third parties to republish all or part of the article or translations thereof. In the case of whole articles, such third parties must obtain Society of Wood Science and Technology written permission as well. However, the Society may grant rights with respect to Journal issues as a whole.
3. The right to use all or part of this article in future works of their own, such as lectures, press releases, reviews, text books, or reprint books.
