Hardwood Genera Research Articles

Automating Wood Species Detection and Classification in Microscopic Images of Fibrous Materials with Deep Learning.

We have developed a methodology for the systematic generation of a large image dataset of macerated wood references, which we used to generate image data for nine hardwood genera. This is the basis for a substantial approach to automate, for the first time, the identification of hardwood species in microscopic images of fibrous materials by deep learning. Our methodology includes a flexible pipeline for easy annotation of vessel elements. We compare the performance of different neural network architectures and hyperparameters. Our proposed method performs similarly well to human experts. In the future, this will improve controls on global wood fiber product flows to protect forests.

A new wood-decaying basidiomycete species associated with esca of grapevine: Fomitiporia mediterranea (Hymenochaetales)

Fomitiporia mediterranea is described as a new wood-decaying basidiomycete species associated with esca of grapevine in European wine-growing countries. Characters of the fruit body are essentially identical with those of the closely related species, Fomitiporia punctata. Fomitiporia mediterranea is distinct by the sequences of the ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and by larger mycelial growth rates at temperatures between 15 °C and 35 °C. While F. punctata is confirmed as a homothallic species, F. mediterranea is shown to be outcrossing, exhibiting a unifactorial mating behaviour with a multiple allelism of the mating type factor, A; single spore isolates of F. mediterranea are intersterile in pairing tests with F. punctata. In southern Europe, F. mediterranea not only occurs on Vitis vinifera, but also on a number of other hardwood genera; it seems restricted to Vitis vinifera elsewhere in Europe.

Mechanical properties of some Swedish hard wood species

A large part of Sweden is located within the Taiga Area and hence most of the wood species growing there are included in the division of Coniferales. This has also led to major research activities on the needle-leaved types in the Pinaceae family. There are, however, many broad-leaved trees, but because of their relatively low economic importance only a few researchers have had the opportunity to study such woods. For certain branches of the Swedish wood manufacturing industry the Angiosperms are of vital importance, e.g. the furniture factories. In this paper the mechanical properties of two Swedish hard wood genera, namely Betula and Alnus, are revealed. These findings are also compared with those found in the literature.

Immunological Identification of Dehydrin-Related Proteins in the Wood of Five Species of Populus and in Salix caprea L.

Summary The winter and spring occurrence of dehydrin-related proteins (DRP) in the wood of deciduous trees was investigated. DRPs were immunologically detected in xylem extracts of five species of poplar ( Populus balsamifera L., P. x canadensis Moench ‹robusta›, P. deltoides Marsh., P. nigra L. ‹italica›, P. tremula L.) and in willow ( Salix caprea L.) by Western blotting using a polyclonal antibody that was directed against a dehydrin protein in hybrid poplar. Xylem protein extracts obtained from dormant trees in winter stage of four other hardwood genera, e.g. Acer, Malus, Betula, and Fraxinus, were immunologically negative, supporting the specificity of our poplar dehydrin antibody. Two dehydrin-related proteins of similar molecular mass, between 116 and 120 kDa, could be identified in four poplar species. Two DRPs were also found, though of lower molecular masses, in P. tremula (87 and 92 kDa) and in Salix caprea (103 and 114 kDa). The difference in molecular masses of the DRP in poplars was not due to glycosylation. Evidence for multiple genes coding for DRPs of different molecular mass was obtained in Populus X canadensis Moench ‹robusta› where a DRP of 120 kDa was present in one of the parents ( P. nigra ) while the second DRP of 118 kDa was found in the other ( P. deltoides ). The dehydrin-related proteins under investigation were heat stable to 80-85 ′C, but not boiling resistant. Their involvement in acclimation to low temperature of the xylem parenchyma cells was indicated, by i) their seasonal appearance, i.e. during winter, ii) by their transient decrease during a warm period in winter, and iii) by their disappearance within 2-3 weeks from twigs cut in winter and subjected to 21 ′C. In contrast, the 32kDa storage protein did not disappear.