Abstract
The Dipteryx genus has a natural distribution throughout several tropical countries in Latin America. This taxon has several tree species, all recognized for their high-density wood. The objective of this research was to study the variation and genetic control of several wood properties, including bark, sapwood, heartwood, green density (GD), specific gravity (SG), moisture content in green condition (MC-G), and mechanical properties, in a Dipteryx panamensis provenance/progeny test at 8 years old. The results showed that bark varied little among families and provenances, but heartwood (diameter and percentage) showed high genetic variation. SG and MC-G showed significant variation between provenances and families, while GD showed little variation. Among the mechanical properties evaluated, the greatest genetic variation was observed in the MOR in bending and shear stress. Families from the Coope San Juan provenance registered the highest values in all wood properties investigated, and families from Puerto Viejo obtained the lowest. Family heritability and the coefficient of genetic variation exhibited high values in heartwood/sapwood and the MOR in bending (h2 > 0.9 and CV > 20%) and lower values in SG, MC-G, compression stress, and shear stress. D. panamensis wood properties have a high potential to be improved through breeding programs.
Highlights
Wood from Dipteryx panamensis (Pittier) Record and Mell trees from natural forests is included in Appendix III of CITES and this species is protected by Costa Rica’s government [1,2]
In the Coope San Juan (CSJ) provenance, the highest Heartwood percentage (HWP) was obtained in the 3- and 5-family and the lowest in the 6-family, while in the PV provenance, the highest HWP value was observed in the 9-family and the rest of the families did not differ
The values of Bark percentage (BP), HWP, and Sapwood percentage (SWP) found for the different families (Table 1) are lower than those reported by Tenorio et al [22] for D. panamensis trees
Summary
Wood from Dipteryx panamensis (Pittier) Record and Mell trees from natural forests is included in Appendix III of CITES and this species is protected by Costa Rica’s government [1,2]. This species has become popular in reforestation programs for timber production in Costa Rica [3,4]. Planted trees of D. panamensis produce timber with suitable wood characteristics, such as high specific gravity and adequate mechanical properties for structural use and energy production [11]. In recent years the tree has received more attention from the industry for its favorable wood characteristics for structural usage [12]
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