Seasonal Behaviour of Vascular Cambium in Teak (Tectona Grandis) Growing in Moist Deciduous and Dry Deciduous Forests

Abstract

Seasonal behaviour of vascular cambium in Tectona grandis L. f. growing in Moist Deciduous Forests (MDF) and Dry Deciduous Forests (DDF) of Gujarat State in Western India was studied for one annual cycle. In both the forests active cambial cell division and simultaneous differentiation of xylem and phloem started in June when the dormant shoot buds opened. In MDF cambial cell activity reached its peak in August-September and ceased in October; in DDF it ceased in November after reaching a peak in July-August. Maximum radial growth in trees of both forests occurred during the monsoon period. In both forests, phloem differentiation ceased before xylem differentiation. During dry months and the leafless periods the cambium remained dormant. Xylem mother cells next to the mature xylem in MDF underwent differentiation into xylem elements following the onset of periclinal divisions in March. In both forests, the seasonal anatomical changes associated with the cambium closely followed the phenology of the tree and local climatic conditions.