Study on the wood anatomy, annual wood increment and intra-annual growth dynamics of Podocarpus oleifolius var. macrostachyus from Costa Rica

Tropical countries in the future will have an increasing demand for softwoods which favours mixed plantations possibly with minor portions of native conifer species. In this context numerous tropical species of the Podocarpaceae can be of ecological and economical interest. In Costa Rica the native species Podocarpus oleifolius var. macrostachyus (Parl.) Buchholz & Gray could be attractive for the establishment of manmade forests. However, profound knowledge on growth characteristics and wood properties is missing. In particular, information on the annual wood increment and intra-annual growth dynamics under natural site conditions at higher altitudes where P. oleifolius var. macrostachyus competes with hardwood species is not available and therefore the objective of this study. At the Cordillera de Talamanca (approx. 2,700 m a.s.l.), Costa Rica, an old-growth stand was chosen from which in total 5 trees (40 to 80 cm diameter at DBH) were sampled by taking stem sections and discs (2 trees)or increment cores (3 trees). During the period from October 1998 to December 2000, two trees of the site were pinned monthly for exact determination of the annual wood increment and the intra-annual growth dynamics in relationship to climate. The results of one of these pinned trees are demonstrated. It turned out that at high altitude the annual wood increment of old growth trees amounts to 1-2 mm (diameter) only. The tracheids show a rather constant cell wall thickness (2.5-4.5 μm) throughout the year, but a very variable radial cell diameter from 29 to 61 μm. The exact age of the tree cannot be determined anatomically, as there are no distinct tree-ring boundaries, but only very moderately developed terminal bands of flattened tracheids which do not circle the entire circumference of the stem. The monthly pin-labelling documents that during the dry season from about January until March in 1999 and 2000, virtually no cells were formed. However, with the beginning of the rainy season, about 59 % of the wood increment resulted from the months April to June. This increment rate already decreased from July to September to 32 %. Due to a distinct decrease in precipitation towards the end of the year, only 9 % of the wood increment were formed in the last quarter of the year, mainly consisting of the hardly visible terminal and flattened tracheids. The wood of this species is of very homogeneous structure and certainly attractive for highquality wood production

Adaptability of the fine root system of Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. to various sites of central Amazônia, Brazil.

The objective of the following study of this commercially important species was to find out in how far dynamic adaptation of the growth and structure of the fine roots can contribute to that outstanding ecological amplitude. The structural study of the fine roots from trees from terra firme and várzea in different seasons in combination with a simulation of drought and inundation conditions in the greenhouse with young plants were expected to help explain the species extensive ecological amplitude

Adaptability of the fine root system of Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. to various sites of central Amazônia, Brazil

Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (sumaúma), an economically important tree species in central Amazônia, stands out on account of its considerable ecological capacity of adapting to different site conditions. It can survive under seasonally dry conditions on terra firme as well as in the seasonally inundated várzea. Particularly the fine roots can structurally adapt to different soil conditions. The adaptation of the fine roots to terra firme condition results in the formation of an aerenchyma consisting of only small intercellular canals. During the dry months the walls of the epidermis cells increase in thickness and moreover they lignify and the exodermis suberize to prevent drainage. On the other hand the fine roots growing on várzea sites form lysigenously an aerenchyma consisting of extended and large intercellulars both within the cortex and the central cylinder. This large intercellular system supplies the plant with water and mineral elements and maintains the oxygen supply enabling photosynthesis throughout the year. In addition, above the soil surface numerous adventitious roots grow during the inundation period developing only small intercellular spaces within the cortex. Suberization is missing and only the primary xylem lignifies.A simulation of the fine root study under similar growth conditions in a tropical greenhouse completely confirmed the structural adaptations of the fine roots to dry and seasonally inundated conditions. This ecological amplitude is important for the selection of Ceiba pentandra for sustainably managed forestry systems

CURSO DIÁRIO E SAZONAL DO POTENCIAL HÍDRICO FOLIAR DE MOGNO EM SISTEMAAGROFLORESTAL1

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar o curso diário e sazonal do potencial hídrico foliar de mogno (Swietenia macrophylla King) (Meliaceae) em sistema agroflorestal (SAF). O experimento foi realizado em árvores de S. macrophylla plantadas num sistema agroflorestal instalado no Campo Experimental da Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, Manaus, AM. Avaliou-se o potencial hídrico foliar (Ψf) dos cursos diário e sazonal nos anos 2004 e 2005, por meio da utilização de bomba de pressão tipo Scholander. Os resultados indicaram que os valores do Ψf de S. macrophylla, de modo geral, foram superiores no início da manhã e no final da tarde, com redução acentuada ao meio-dia, e que, em relação à sazonalidade de precipitação, as menores taxas foram reportadas para a época menos chuvosa, variando de -26 bar em 2004 para -31bar em 2005. Verificou-se que o potencial hídrico de Swietenia macrophylla em sistema agroflorestal sofreu reduções significativas em razão dos baixos índices pluviométricos entre junho e outubro de 2005