To advance the discussion on the evolution mechanism of tree growth stresses, the relation between released strain and the chemical components was investigated experimentally. The expansive released strain in the longitudinal direction assumed large values as the lignin content increased in the compression wood, but there was no relation between released strain and lignin content in the normal wood region. The contractive released strain assumed large values as the cellulose content and its crystallinity increased. Their correlation was very high and clear. From these facts, it is considered that the lignin deposition plays an important role in the generation of the growth stresses in compression wood but is not important in normal or tension wood regions. Cellulose microfibrils contract along their longitudinal axis during cell maturation, and the stress included by the contraction creates a longitudinal growth stress in normal and tension woods.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.