Characterization of eucalyptus clones subject to wind damage

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to test a new methodology to assess the resistance of trees to wind damage and determine the characteristics that increase clone resistance to winds. Tree resistance to breakage, basic density, ultrastructure, anatomy, mechanical properties, and wood growth stress have been evaluated in seven Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla clones, collected from a region with a high incidence of wind damage. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the tree resistance to breakage and the ratio between the area damaged by the winds and the total planted area was -0.839, showing the efficiency of the methodology adopted and that high breaking strength results in a smaller area affected by wind damage. Trees with a high basic density, cell wall fraction, modulus of elasticity of the middle lamella and fibers, fiber hardness, modulus of rupture, growth stress and low microfibril angle and height and width of the rays showed greater resistance to wind damage. Therefore, the selection of clones with these features may reduce the incidence of damage by winds in Eucalyptus plantations.Index terms: Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla, basic density, cell wall fraction, cell wall ultrastructure, fiber, wood. Caracterização de clones de eucalipto sujeitos a danos provocados pelo ventoResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi testar uma nova metodologia para avaliar a resistência das árvores aos danos causados pelos ventos e determinar as características que aumentam a resistência dos clones a estes danos. A resistência das árvores à ruptura e a tensão de crescimento, assim como a densidade básica, ultraestrutura, anatomia e propriedades mecânicas da madeira foram avaliadas em sete clones de Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla, recolhidos de uma região com uma alta incidência de danos provocados pelo vento. O coeficiente de correlação de Pearson entre a resistência à ruptura da árvore e a relação entre a área danificada pelos ventos e a área total plantada foi -0,839, mostrando a eficiência da metodologia adotada e que alta resistência à quebra resulta em baixa área afetada por danos pelos ventos. Árvores com uma alta densidade básica, fração da parede celular, módulo de elasticidade da lamela média e fibras, dureza da fibra, módulo de ruptura, tensão de crescimento e baixo ângulo microfibrilar e altura e largura dos raios apresentaram maior resistência a danos causados pelo vento. Portanto, a seleção de clones com estas características pode reduzir a incidência de danos causados por ventos em plantações de eucalipto.Termos para indexação: Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla, densidade básica, fração de parede celular, ultraestrutura da parede celular, fibra, madeira.

Comparative transcriptomics analysis of contrasting varieties of Eucalyptus camaldulensis reveals wind resistance genes

“…The wind-induced damage to forests is anticipated to increase, consequently affecting the forest economy ( Défossez et al, 2015 ). For example, the loss of a considerable amount of timber in Finland was witnessed due to storms ( Zubizarreta-Gerendiain, Pukkala & Peltola, 2016 ; Gregow et al, 2008 ), and the planting area of Eucalyptus in Brazil decreased sharply due to the wind-related disasters ( Zanuncio et al, 2017 ). In addition, wind damage hampers the structure and function maintenance of forest ecosystems in coastal areas; besides, it impacts the composition, succession, and function of forest ecosystems ( Imbert & Portecop, 2008 ; Coomes et al., 2018 ).…”

“…At present, research regarding wind resistance of trees has been mainly focused on coniferous species such as Acer pseudoplatanus ( Zubizarreta-Gerendiain, Pukkala & Peltola, 2016 ; Duperat, Gardiner & Ruel, 2021 ), Quercus robur ( Jackson et al, 2019 ), Maritime Pine ( Dupont et al, 2018 ), Rubber ( Edzang et al, 2020 ; Wu et al, 2012 ), Eucalyptus ( Zanuncio et al, 2017 ; Zanuncio et al, 2019 ; Shang et al, 2017 ), and coastal protective tree species such as Casuarina equisetifolia and Acacia ( Xu et al, 2014 ; Wu et al, 2010 ). Of these, Eucalyptus is an important plantation tree species with high economic benefits in China.…”

“…Research on wind resistance of Eucalyptus has been mainly focused on their growth and wood properties after typhoons. For example, Zanuncio et al (2017) measured the wood properties of E. grandis × E. urophylla to evaluate the resistance of Eucalyptus clones to wind damage. Luo et al (2009) studied the genetic variation in growth and wind resistance of 2-year-old Eucalyptus hybrids.…”

Key traits influencing wind resistance of Eucalyptus camaldulensis

“…Gardiner et al [22] believed that the wood density and physical-mechanical properties of trunks in uence the response of trees to wind loading. Trees with a high wood base density and low micro lament angle show greater wind resistance [23,24]. A high basic density of wood would make wood materials higher per unit volume and confer stronger crushing resistance [25].…”