Wood Basic Density Assessment of <i>Eucalyptus</i> Genotypes Growing under Contrasting Water Availability Conditions

Abstract

Limited research exists on wood properties in E. nitens × E. globulus hybrid genotypes grown in water-limited conditions generated by the climate change influence in Mediterranean areas. The EUCAHYDRO project aimed to assess environmental stress impacts on eucalyptus genotypes, including responses to reduced water availability, and to evaluate wood density and resistance using the non-destructive drill resistance technique. This study focused on 10-year-old E. nitens × E. globulus hybrids and Eucalyptus badjensis Beuzev. & Welch, revealing that low irrigation led to a 13% (p p > 0.05) increase in wood density for the hybrids. On the contrary, E. badjensis demonstrated a noteworthy 22% increase in wood density (p p > 0.05), as measured by the diameter at breast height. Drill resistance measurement results indicated that E. nitens × E. globulus’ amplitude ranged from 20.1% to 26.6%, while E. badjensis’ ranged from 20.8% to 27.2%. The study revealed a high correlation between resistance amplitude and wood density, with coefficients of 0.97 observed for E. nitens × E. globulus and 0.84 for E. badjensis (p Eucalyptus spp. The primary focus of the research was to assess the growth potential and wood quality of novel Eucalyptus spp. under conditions of water limitation. The study also explored the utility of drill resistance as a predictive measure for evaluating wood density as an indicator of wood quality.

Keywords

• water availability
• eucalyptus growth
• wood properties
• drill resistance
• hybrid