Clonal propagation and storage of subtropical pines in Queensland, Australia

Clonal forestry is the approach used for deployment of Pinus elliottii x P. caribaea hybrids in Queensland, Australia. Clonal forestry relies on the ability to maintain juvenility of stock plants while selections are made in field tests, so that genetic gains are not eroded by the effects of stock plant maturation. Two parallel approaches are employed in Queensland to maintain juvenility of clonal material. Firstly, the ortet and several ramets of each clone are maintained as archive hedges <20-cm height for the duration of field tests. Secondly, shoots from archive hedges are stored in tissue culture at low temperature and low irradiance to slow growth and slow maturation. Once the best clones have been identified, production hedges are derived from both archive hedges and tissue culture shoots. About 6 million rooted cuttings are produced annually, representing almost the entire planting program of Pinus in subtropical Queensland.

Ageing delays the cellular stages of adventitious root formation in pine.

Vegetative propagation programs internationally are affected by the significant decline of rooting success as trees mature. This study compared the cellular stages of root formation in stem cuttings from 15-week-old (juvenile) and 9-y-old (mature) stock plants of the slash x Caribbean pine hybrid (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii x P. caribaea van hondurensis). The cellular stages of root formation were the same in both juvenile and mature cuttings, beginning with cell divisions of the vascular cambium forming callus tissue. Within the callus, tracheids differentiated and elongated to form root primordia. Roots in juvenile cuttings developed faster than those in mature cuttings and the juvenile cuttings had a much higher rooting percent at the end of the study (92% and 26% respectively). Cuttings of the two juvenile genotypes had more primary roots (5.5 and 3.3) than the three mature genotypes (0.96, 0.18 and 0.07). The roots of juvenile cuttings were more evenly distributed around the basal circumference when compared with those on cuttings from the mature genotypes. Further work is needed to improve understanding of physiological changes with maturation so that the rooting success and the speed of development in cuttings from mature stock plants can be optimised, hence improving genetic gain.

Spatial model of site index based on Y-ray spectrometry and a digital elevation model for two Pinus species in Tuan Toolara State Forest, Queensland, Australia

Site index prediction models are an important aid for forest management and planning activities. This paper introduces a multiple regression model for spatially mapping and comparing site indices for two Pinus species (Pinus elliottii Engelm. and Queensland hybrid, a P. elliottii x Pinus caribaea Morelet hybrid) based on independent variables derived from two major sources: g-ray spectrometry (potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U)) and a digital elevation model (elevation, slope, curvature, hillshade, flow accumulation, and distance to streams). In addition, interpolated rainfall was tested. Species were coded as a dichotomous dummy variable; interaction effects between species and the g-ray spectrometric and geomorphologic variables were considered. The model explained up to 60% of the variance of site index and the standard error of estimate was 1.9 m. Uranium, elevation, distance to streams, thorium, and flow accumulation significantly correlate to the spatial variation of the site index of both species, and hillshade, curvature, elevation and slope accounted for the extra variability of one species over the other. The predicted site indices varied between 20.0 and 27.3 m for P. elliottii, and between 23.1 and 33.1 m for Queensland hybrid; the advantage of Queensland hybrid over P. elliottii ranged from 1.8 to 6.8 m, with the mean at 4.0 m. This compartment-based prediction and comparison study provides not only an overview of forest productivity of the whole plantation area studied but also a management tool at compartment scale.

Avaliação da qualidade da madeira de cinco espécies de Pinus destinadas à produção de celulose

Pós-graduação em Ciência Florestal - FCA

Obtenção de constantes elásticas da madeira de duas espécies de Pinus sp

There are many studies about longitudinal modulus of elasticity of wood, but you can´t say the same of transverse modulus, especially for conifers. The study aimed to characterize and compare the species Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and Pinus elliottii var. elliottii x Pinus cariabeae hondurensis (hybrid), and the longitudinal modulus of elasticity (E) and lateral (G) in bending, to analyze the modulus of elasticity in different spaces and to verify the species studied the ideal range is equal to 21 times the height of the specimen, as prescribed in the normative document NBR 7190/1997, as well as analyzing the relationship G = E/20 defined in the normative document NBR 7190/1997. The wood came from the farm located in Paranapanema, split at the mill São José and the rest of the work was conducted at the Experimental Itapeva Campus - UNESP. Were removed fourteen specimens of each species. The average values of the modulus of elasticity and cross were, respectively, 5828 MPa and 452 MPa for Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and 6407 MPa and 320 MPa for the species of Pinus elliottii var. elliottii x Pinus cariabeae hondurensis (hybrid). The trend lines for the plotted graphs showed an exponential behavior to near linear 21he will equal the constant after this value. We have found the relationship G = E/13, for Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and G = E/20 for hybrid. The results of the modulus and strength for Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and the hybrid were lower than those reported in the literature, showing that this batch inferior quality to apply to structures

Inter-relação da produtividade de madeira do pinus com atributos físico-químicos de um latossolo do cerrado brasileiro

Com relação aos atributos do solo, a produtividade de madeira do pinus varia substancialmente em função do pH, do teor de matéria orgânica e da resistência à penetração. No ano de 2007, no Município de Selvíria (MS) foi analisada a produtividade de madeira do Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis, em função de alguns atributos físico-químicos de um Latossolo Vermelho Distrófico estabelecido num maciço florestal com 21 anos de idade. O objetivo foi selecionar, entre os atributos pesquisados do solo, aquele que melhor se apresentasse para explicar a variabilidade da produtividade de madeira. Para tanto, foi instalado um grid geoestatístico, para a coleta dos dados do solo e da planta, contendo 121 pontos amostrais, numa área de 3 ha do referido maciço. A produtividade de madeira variou diretamente com o pH do solo, tanto linear quanto espacialmente, com valores de 27,0-32,6 m³ ha-1 ano-1 e 3,9-4,4, respectivamente. Nos maiores, 32,6-36,9 m³ ha-1 ano-1 e 4,4-4,9. Dessa forma, o pH revelou ser um apreciável indicador da qualidade química do solo quando o objetivo foi estimar, linear e espacialmente, a produtividade de madeira da essência florestal pesquisada nas condições do Cerrado brasileiro do Sudeste do Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul.

Effect of plant growth regulators in the rooting of Pinus cuttings

O trabalho avaliou o enraizamento de estacas de Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis Morelet sob a ação de diferentes níveis de reguladores vegetais. As estacas foram feitas de brotações de 4 a 6cm de comprimento de mudas de P. caribaea var. hondurensis Morelet com corte bisel na base sendo as acículas basais eliminadas. A base das estacas foram submetidas aos tratamentos por 2 segundos com os seguintes tratamentos: 1- NAA 2000mg L-1; 2- NAA 4000mg L-1; 3- NAA 6000mg L-1; 4- NAA 2000mg L-1 + PBZ 100mg L-1; 5- NAA 4000mg L-1 + PBZ; 6- NAA 6000mg L-1 + PBZ; 7- IBA 2000mg L-1; 8- IBA 4000mg L-1; 9- IBA 6000mg L-1; 10-IBA 2000mg L-1 + PBZ; 11- IBA 4000mg L-1 + PBZ; 12- IBA 6000mg L-1 + PBZ e testemunha. Após os tratamentos as estacas foram plantadas em tubetes contendo 50% de palha de arroz carbonizada e 50% de vermiculita. As avaliações realizadas aos 60 dias após o plantio mostraram que estacas de P. caribaea tratadas com IBA levaram a maior porcentagem de estacas enraizadas que aquelas tratadas com NAA, sendo o mais efetivo, IBA a 4000mg L-1 em conjunto com 100mg L-1 de paclobutrazol.

Uso de biossólidos como substrato para produção de mudas de pinus e eucalipto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions through biological carbon sequestration in North Eastern Australia

The Kyoto Protocol recognises trees as a sink of carbon and a valid means to offset greenhouse gas emissions and meet internationally agreed emissions targets. This study details biological carbon sequestration rates for common plantation species Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pine), Eucalyptus cloeziana, Eucalyptus argophloia, Pinus elliottii and Pinus caribaea var hondurensis and individual land areas required in north-eastern Australia to offset greenhouse gas emissions of 1000tCO 2e. The 3PG simulation model was used to predict above and below-ground estimates of biomass carbon for a range of soil productivity conditions for six representative locations in agricultural regions of north-eastern Australia. The total area required to offset 1000tCO 2e ranges from 1ha of E. cloeziana under high productivity conditions in coastal North Queensland to 45ha of hoop pine in low productivity conditions of inland Central Queensland. These areas must remain planted for a minimum of 30years to meet the offset of 1000tCO 2e.

Long-term impacts of harvest residue management on nutrition, growth and productivity of an exotic pine plantation of sub-tropical Australia

Residue retention is an important issue in evaluating the sustainability of production forestry. However, its long-term impacts have not been studied extensively, especially in sub-tropical environments. This study investigated the long-term impact of harvest residue retention on tree nutrition, growth and productivity of a F1 hybrid (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii × Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis) exotic pine plantation in sub-tropical Australia, under three harvest residue management regimes: (1) residue removal, RR0; (2) single residue retention, RR1; and (3) double residue retention, RR2. The experiment, established in 1996, is a randomised complete block design with 4 replicates. Tree growth measurements in this study were carried out at ages 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 years, while foliar nutrient analyses were carried out at ages 2, 4, 6 and 10 years. Litter production and litter nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) measurements were carried out quarterly over a 15-month period between ages 9 and 10 years. Results showed that total tree growth was still greater in residue-retained treatments compared to the RR0 treatment. However, mean annual increments of diameter at breast height (MAID) and basal area (MAIB) declined significantly after age 4 years to about 68-78% at age 10 years. Declining foliar N and P concentrations accounted for 62% (p < 0.05) of the variation of growth rates after age 4 years, and foliar N and P concentrations were either marginal or below critical concentrations. In addition, litter production, and litter N and P contents were not significantly different among the treatments. This study suggests that the impact of residue retention on tree nutrition and growth rates might be limited over a longer period, and that the integration of alternative forest management practices is necessary to sustain the benefits of harvest residues until the end of the rotation.

Effects of weed control and fertilization at early establishment on tree nitrogen and water use in an exotic F1 hybrid pine of subtropical Australia

Purpose We investigated the effects of weed control and fertilization at early establishment on foliar stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (N) isotope (δ15N) compositions, foliar N concentration, tree growth and biomass, relative weed cover and other physiological traits in a 2-year old F1 hybrid (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii (Engelm) × Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis (Barr. ex Golf.)) plantation grown on a yellow earth in southeast Queensland of subtropical Australia. Materials and methods Treatments included routine weed control, luxury weed control, intermediate weed control, mechanical weed control, nil weed control, and routine and luxury fertilization in a randomised complete block design. Initial soil nutrition and soil fertility parameters included (hot water extractable organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N), total C and N, C/N ratio, labile N pools (nitrate (NO3 −) and ammonium (NH4 +)), extractable potassium (K+)), soil δ15N and δ13C. Relative weed cover, foliar N concentrations, tree growth rate and physiological parameters including photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, foliar δ15N and foliar δ13C were also measured at early establishment. Results and discussion Foliar N concentration at 1.25 years was significantly different amongst the weed control treatments and was negatively correlated to the relative weed cover at 1.1 years. Foliar N concentration was also positively correlated to foliar δ15N and foliar δ13C, tree height, height growth rates and tree biomass. Foliar δ15N was negatively correlated to the relative weed cover at 0.8 and 1.1 years. The physiological measurements indicated that luxury fertilization and increasing weed competition on these soils decreased leaf xylem pressure potential (Ψxpp) when compared to the other treatments. Conclusions These results indicate how increasing N resources and weed competition have implications for tree N and water use at establishment in F1 hybrid plantations of southeast Queensland, Australia. These results suggest the desirability of weed control, in the inter-planting row, in the first year to maximise site N and water resources available for seedling growth. It also showed the need to avoid over-fertilisation, which interfered with the balance between available N and water on these soils.

Physical Vapor Deposited Thin Films of Lignins Extracted from Sugar Cane Bagasse: Morphology, Electrical Properties, and Sensing Applications

The concern related to the environmental degradation and to the exhaustion of natural resources has induced the research on biodegradable materials obtained from renewable sources, which involves fundamental properties and general application. In this context, we have fabricated thin films of lignins, which were extracted from sugar cane bagasse via modified organosolv process using ethanol as organic solvent. The films were made using the vacuum thermal evaporation technique (PVD, physical vapor deposition) grown up to 120 nm. The main objective was to explore basic properties such as electrical and surface morphology and the sensing performance of these lignins as transducers. The PVD film growth was monitored via ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance, revealing a linear relationship between absorbance and film thickness. The 120 nm lignin PVD film morphology presented small aggregates spread all over the film surface on the nanometer scale (atomic force microscopy, AFM) and homogeneous on the micrometer scale (optical microscopy). The PVD films were deposited onto Au interdigitated electrode (IDE) for both electrical characterization and sensing experiments. In the case of electrical characterization, current versus voltage (I vs V) dc measurements were carried out for the Au IDE coated with 120 nm lignin PVD film, leading to a conductivity of 3.6 x 10(-10) S/m. Using impedance spectroscopy, also for the Au IDE coated with the 120 nm lignin PVD film, dielectric constant of 8.0, tan delta of 3.9 x 10(-3)) and conductivity of 1.75 x 10(-9) S/m were calculated at 1 kHz. As a proof-of-principle, the application of these lignins as transducers in sensing devices was monitored by both impedance spectroscopy (capacitance vs frequency) and I versus time dc measurements toward aniline vapor (saturated atmosphere). The electrical responses showed that the sensing units are sensible to aniline vapor with the process being reversible. AFM images conducted directly onto the sensing units (Au IDE coated with 120 nm lignin PVD film) before and after the sensing experiments showed a decrease in the PVD film roughness from 5.8 to 3.2 nm after exposing to aniline.

The effect of initial spacing and thinning on wood quality and graded sawn recovery of mature Caribbean pine grown in Queensland.

A mature Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis) silviculture experiment provided initial square spacing treatments of 1.8 m2, 2.4 m2, 3.0 m2 and 3.6 m2 (equal to 3088, 1737, 1111 and 772 stems/ha) that were thinned at age 10 years to 600, 400 and 200 stems/ha, retaining an unthinned control for each initial spacing. The trial was destructively sampled at age of 28 years and discs taken along 8 various stem heights were analysed for variation in basic density and SilviScan wood properties. In addition, the logs from ten stocking × thinning treatments were processed in a sawing study. Results indicate thinning effects were generally more pronounced than initial spacing effects. Fast growing trees produced wood with significantly higher average wood densities and higher average stiffness values. Detailed SilviScan densitometry results obtained radially and at various stem heights enabled construction of tree maps for wood properties, providing insights into the variation in juvenile to mature wood proportion across the initial and post-thinning stocking treatments studied. Dried dressed recovery was strongly related to tree size, and log value decreased consistently from butt to top logs across all treatments. The estimated value per hectare was highest in unthinned plots due to values being multiplied by high stem numbers per hectare. However, a complete economic analysis considering all cost structures is required to investigate the optimal silviculture to maximise economic returns to growers and processors. Improved understanding of the relationship between initial spacing, post-thinning stocking and wood and end-product quality should help to customize future forest management strategies required to produce better quality wood and wood products.

Charcoal production using tropical pine thinnings

In Brazil, the wood from pine-plantation thinnings is difficult to sell. However, these wood thinnings could be used to produce charcoal. The physical and chemical properties of charcoal produced from logs or first and fourth thinnings of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis and Pinus oocarpa were determined. Similar properties were also determined for sawmill slabs cut from first and fourth thinnings. Properties were compared to charcoal made from pine materials and 7-yr-old Eucalyptus grandis. Results show that Pinus spp had better chemical properties than did E. grandis. In contrast, charcoal obtained from E. grandis had higher values of apparent density and lower values of bulk density than did Pinus spp. © 1992.

Avaliação da distribuição da densidade em MDF a partir da técnica da onda de ultra-som

The goal of this research was to determine the density distribution in medium density fiberboard (MDF), manufactured with polyurethane derived from castor oil using, ultrasonic wave technique. The equipment used in this test is Steinkamp BP7 with plan and exponential transducers, both with 45 kHz frequencies, located in several zones on the plate in order to determine wave ultrasonic velocity. The Pinus caribaea and Eucalyptus grandis fiberboard were manufactured in the quality control and products development laboratory of Duratex with 500 mm long, 500 mm large, 8 and 15 mm of thickness. Three MDF for each fiber specimen and thickness were fabricated, totalizing twelve plates tested. The MDF were produced with 5% polyurethane addition, in temperature of 160°C, tension press of 53 bars and addition of moisture content of 12%. For determination of fiberboard density, samples were extracted from the same zones where the wave ultrasonic velocity was determined. In this case, DAX-Ray equipment was used. Statistical analysis shows good agreement with wave ultrasonic velocity and the density profile, validating the application of non-destructive technique in order to determine the density profile of MDF's.