Seed provenance influences the wood structure of Gallesia integrifolia

Abstract

Plants from three provenances of Gallesia integrifolia were cultivated under homogeneous growth conditions to determine the effect of seed provenance on the wood density, anatomy and chemical constituents. In 1981, seeds were collected in Ribeirão Preto (RP), Campinas (CA) and Bauru (BA). Seedlings of the three provenances were planted at the Luiz Antonio Station in 1982 and trees were felled in 2008. The plants showed significant differences in their wood, possibly due to different genotypes. The relatively small vessel diameter in CA was associated with a high wood density. The provenances RP and CA did not show radial variation in density, which indicates a more homogeneous wood than BA. To obtain wood with a high density, trees of the provenance CA would be most useful, while wood from the RP and CA provenances would be suitable if a homogeneous wood with minor radial variation were desirable.