Anatomical Changes During Transition from Juvenile to Adult Wood in Branch and Main Trunk Xylem of Subabul (Leucaena leucocephala [Lam.] de Wit)

Abstract

The anatomical changes occurring during transition from juvenile to mature wood were studied in the branch and main trunk of Leucaena leucocephala. To confirm the wood maturity in the 5-yr-old tree, the anatomical features were compared with the adult wood collected from the main trunk of a 15-yr-old tree. In both the branch and wood of the trunk, most of the anatomical features—such as increase in dimensions of fibers and vessel elements, and decrease in frequency of vessel elements and rays—were gradual during radial growth from pith to periphery. A noticeable anatomical change is observed in the transition of triseriate rays to multiseriate rays in the region of wood which is about 5.5 cm away from the pith. The ray dimensions and anatomical features of other elements from the periphery of the branch and 5-yr-old trunk xylem match with that of 15-yr-old main trunk wood. This indicates that in both the branches and main trunk of Leucaena, transition from juvenile to adult or mature wood occurs after the trees have attained 14 cm radial growth.