Wood variation in Laguncularia racemosa and its effect on fibre quality

Abstract

Laguncularia racemosa wood is commonly used in north-western Mexico and harvested without the knowledge of whether environmental conditions affect wood quality. Laguncularia racemosa anatomy variation was evaluated to identify which cell features, mainly fibre features, are related to an environmental gradient and how this variation affects wood quality. Trees were sampled in six sites along the river where different flooding periods and levels occur. Analyses revealed that in sites with high salinity and flooding levels, there are more abundant vessels and axial parenchyma although the fibres and vessel elements are shorter, suggesting a water stress effect. Correlation analysis confirmed that the higher the percentage of gelatinous fibres, the longer the fibres. This occurred in L. racemosa trees growing in those sites with a high sand particle percentage and a lower flooding level. Anova (analysis of variance) revealed non-significant differences among sites for flexibility, rigidity and Peteri coefficients as well as for Runkel ratio, however the rigidity coefficient is affected by occurrence of gelatinous fibres. L. racemosa wood harvesting should avoid those sites with high flooding level, high sand particle percentage and high salinity that may modify wood quality.