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Chemical factors affecting the brown-rot decay resistance of Scots pine heartwood

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Abstract

The cell wall chemistry (amount of hemicellulose, α-cellulose, and total lignin) and the concentration of extractives (total acetone-soluble extractives, resin acids, pinosylvins and the total phenolics quantified as tannin acid equivalents) were studied in brown-rot resistant and susceptible juvenile heartwood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The study material consisted of a total of 18 trees from two 34-year-old progeny trials at Korpilahti and Kerimäki. The trees were selected from among 783 trees whose decay rate had previously been screened in a laboratory test using a brown-rot fungus, Coniophora puteana. Samples from neither location showed any significant difference in the concentration (mg/cm3) of hemicellulose, α-cellulose and total lignin between the decay resistant and susceptible trees. At both locations only the concentration of total phenolics was higher in the decay-resistant heartwood than in the decay-susceptible heartwood. At Korpilahti, the amount of acetone-soluble extractives and the concentration of pinosylvin and its derivatives were higher in the resistant than in the susceptible trees.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Heikki Kinnunen, Eija Matikainen, Teemu Moilanen, Heikki Paajanen, Tarja Salminen, and Jussi Tiainen from the Punkaharju Research Station for sampling and measuring the increment cores. Liisa Seppänen carried out the decay test in the laboratory of VTT Building and Transport, Terhi Vuorinen analysed the resin acids and total phenolics in Kuopio, and Tapio Laakso and Veikko Kitunen carried out the GLC-MS analyses in Vantaa. We thank them all and the personnel of the Suonenjoki Research Station for their contribution, as well as John Derome for checking the language. The Academy of Finland (Resource Council for the Environment and Natural Resources, projects No. 43140 and 43159) supported this study, which belongs to the Finnish Forest Cluster Research Programme WOOD WISDOM (1998–2001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Punkaharju Research Station, Finnish Forest Research Institute, 58450, Punkaharju, Finland

    Anni M. Harju & Martti Venäläinen

  2. Suonenjoki Research Station, Finnish Forest Research Institute, 77600, Suonenjoki, Finland

    Seija Anttonen & Elina Vapaavuori

  3. VTT Building and Transport, P.O. Box 1806, 02044, VTT, Finland

    Hannu Viitanen

  4. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Pirjo Kainulainen

  5. Vantaa Research Centre, Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 18, 01301, Vantaa, Finland

    Pekka Saranpää

Authors
  1. Anni M. Harju
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  2. Martti Venäläinen
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  3. Seija Anttonen
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  4. Hannu Viitanen
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  5. Pirjo Kainulainen
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  6. Pekka Saranpää
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  7. Elina Vapaavuori
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Correspondence to Anni M. Harju.

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Harju, A.M., Venäläinen, M., Anttonen, S. et al. Chemical factors affecting the brown-rot decay resistance of Scots pine heartwood. Trees 17, 263–268 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-002-0233-z

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