High-resolution analysis of radial growth and wood density in Eucalyptus nitens, grown under different irrigation regimes

Wood density is the most important determinant of wood quality and a critical factor in short rotation forestry. Daily radial growth of six-year-old Eucalyptus nitens trees were monitored on a two hectare plantation in south-eastern Tasmania using point dendrometers, under different irrigation regimes. At the end of the second growing season 12-mm cores were extracted from the trees and processed for high-resolution wood density using SilviScan-2. The dendrometer measurements were utilized to rescale wood density on a time axis. In general, lower density was formed early in the growing season, and higher wood density later. The irrigated-droughted trees showed an obvious relationship between wood density and soil water deficits with the density decreasing in response to water stress releases. The density decrease was accompanied by acceleration in daily increment. With the presented approach the annual level is no longer the basis of analysis. This opens new opportunities for genotype x environmental interaction studies of trees, which is of particular importance in clonal forestry.