Surface areas, lengths and volumes of Picea abies (L.) Karst. needles: determination, biological variability and effect of environmental factors

Abstract

A method for the rapid determination of the lengths and surface areas of very large samples of needles of Picea abies (L.) Karst. using a computer-aided image analysis system was developed. Two independent methods for measuring non-destructively the volumes of individual needles and of all needles attached to a twig were devised. The surface areas and lengths of about 38000 needles sampled from the three youngest needle age-classes (1986, 1985, 1984) of 48 trees approximately 130 years old at four sites in the Fichtelgebirge mountains (N. E. Bavaria, FRG) were measured. The frequency distributions of lengths and areas for each site and age-class are given. Variability of needle size was fairly large. Even though the sites differed in climate, soil, and air pollution levels no consistent effect of these factors on needle size could be detected. Needle lengths and surface areas did not correlate with either the total chlorophyll content of the needles or the degree of crown thinning. The needle surface area (in mm2) of fully developed P. abies needles can be estimated by the empirical equation surface area = 4.440 x needle length -24.8 (r = 0.937), and the needle volume (in mm3) by needle volume = 0.208 x projected needle area1.353 (r = 0.969).