Wound Closure Rates on Trees

Abstract

The amount of trunk growth on ten species of plantation-grown trees differed among and between species. Wound closure rates on these trees correlated positively with trunk growth and varied between species and between years. More callus was produced around large wounds than around small wounds on the same tree. Callus growth at the periphery of the wound was greater than the radial growth of the stem. Closure rate on slow-growing trees within a species was greater per unit of radial growth than on the fast-growing trees. Significant variability in wound closure rates was found within a population, a finding that suggests that plant breeders may be able to select for plants with this attribute.