부산대학교 도서관

Soil affects the anatomy of downy birch wood (Betula pubescens), which raises the question whether the growth of this species differs between mineral and peat soils. The aim of this study was to compare growth, density and structure of xylem ofB. pubescensbetween trees grown in different soils. Both growth and density differed between trees grown in different soils. All measured anatomical characteristics, except double thickness of fibre walls, percentage vessel area and ray number, showed differences between the soil types: the cell dimensions were larger and numbers smaller in trees grown in mineral soil. In peat, high growth rates decreased the wall:lumen ratio of fibres in maturing wood, while no such correlation was observed in trees grown in mineral soil at any studied cambial age. In addition, axial parenchyma may have a different role in trees grown in different soils, as the rapid growth decreased and increased axial parenchyma in mineral and peat soil, respectively. The characteristics affecting wood strength were more similar between trees grown in different soils than those affecting water conductance. The observed differences between trees grown in different soils emphasise rapid growth particularly at young ages and shorter reasonable rotation period in mineral soil. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]