Fiber Morphology and Extractive Content of Aquilaria cumingiana (Decne.) Ridl. Wood from Davao Oriental, Philippines

Abstract

The fiber morphology and extractive content of Aquilaria cumingiana (Decne.) Ridl. wood collected in Davao Oriental, Philippines were determined to gather pioneering information about the properties of A. cumingiana for better characterization and classification. Wood samples were classified according to color with the aid of a Nix Mini 1 Color Sensor and labeled as A, B, C, and D. The result of the study showed an increasing trend of color lightness percentage from samples A (32.74%) to D (74.96%). Morphologically, both samples C and D (1.03 mm) showed the longest fiber, sample A showed the largest fiber (35.41 µm) and lumen diameter (27.77 µm), and sample C showed the thickest cell wall (4.71 µm). On the other hand, the highest Runkel ratio, slenderness ratio, and flexibility ratio were shown in samples B (0.49), C (33.00), and A (78.13), respectively. The amount of extractives obtained in the study decreases from samples A to D regardless of the solvents used. Statistically, the color lightness, morphological properties, and extractive content were significant across sample classifications. Among solvents used, the extractive content showed a significant result. The color lightness and extractive content showed a negative relationship, which signifies that the color lightness may be used to evaluate the amount and quality of extractives in A. cumingiana wood. Based on the morphological properties, A. cumingiana fibers are found favorable in pulp and paper production. The classification and characterization of A. cumingiana wood properties along the infected portions of a tree and chemical profiling of the extracts would be relevant information to consider.