The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica
Abstract Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing wood stiffness is essential for improving wood quality in plantation forestry. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental variation in wood stiffness, measured as stress-wave-based modulus of elas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Wood Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02220-1 |
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| author | Eitaro Fukatsu Yuji Kurahara Manabu Kurita Koji Matsunaga |
| author_facet | Eitaro Fukatsu Yuji Kurahara Manabu Kurita Koji Matsunaga |
| author_sort | Eitaro Fukatsu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing wood stiffness is essential for improving wood quality in plantation forestry. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental variation in wood stiffness, measured as stress-wave-based modulus of elasticity (swMOE), in Cryptomeria japonica. Six genotypes were planted at three planting densities (7000, 3000, and 1700 trees/ha) in a field trial, and growth traits such as tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and bole height were measured at stand age 40. Using linear mixed models, we estimated variance components, broad-sense heritabilities, and correlations between swMOE and growth traits. We compared linear mixed models incorporating growth traits as covariates and examined their predictive accuracy for swMOE. Our results showed that swMOE was under relatively strong genetic control and was less influenced by planting density compared to growth traits. Among the growth traits tested, form ratio (tree height to diameter) exhibited the strongest positive correlation with swMOE at the phenotypic, genetic, and residual levels. Including form ratio as a covariate improved model fit and increased prediction accuracy across replications. These findings suggest that form ratio is both a biologically meaningful and practically useful trait for explaining and predicting wood stiffness of C. japonica. This approach has potential applications in genetic selection and wood property prediction in operational breeding and forest management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01b49b5c2eaf4a5c81530d825fd79ad6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1611-4663 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Wood Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-01b49b5c2eaf4a5c81530d825fd79ad62025-08-20T03:45:48ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Wood Science1611-46632025-08-0171111410.1186/s10086-025-02220-1The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonicaEitaro Fukatsu0Yuji Kurahara1Manabu Kurita2Koji Matsunaga3Forest Tree Breeding Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteKyushu Regional Breeding Office, Forest Tree Breeding Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteForest Tree Breeding Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteKyushu Regional Breeding Office, Forest Tree Breeding Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteAbstract Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing wood stiffness is essential for improving wood quality in plantation forestry. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental variation in wood stiffness, measured as stress-wave-based modulus of elasticity (swMOE), in Cryptomeria japonica. Six genotypes were planted at three planting densities (7000, 3000, and 1700 trees/ha) in a field trial, and growth traits such as tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and bole height were measured at stand age 40. Using linear mixed models, we estimated variance components, broad-sense heritabilities, and correlations between swMOE and growth traits. We compared linear mixed models incorporating growth traits as covariates and examined their predictive accuracy for swMOE. Our results showed that swMOE was under relatively strong genetic control and was less influenced by planting density compared to growth traits. Among the growth traits tested, form ratio (tree height to diameter) exhibited the strongest positive correlation with swMOE at the phenotypic, genetic, and residual levels. Including form ratio as a covariate improved model fit and increased prediction accuracy across replications. These findings suggest that form ratio is both a biologically meaningful and practically useful trait for explaining and predicting wood stiffness of C. japonica. This approach has potential applications in genetic selection and wood property prediction in operational breeding and forest management.https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02220-1Cryptomeria japonicaStem stiffnessStress wave velocityPlanting density |
| spellingShingle | Eitaro Fukatsu Yuji Kurahara Manabu Kurita Koji Matsunaga The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica Journal of Wood Science Cryptomeria japonica Stem stiffness Stress wave velocity Planting density |
| title | The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica |
| title_full | The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica |
| title_fullStr | The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica |
| title_full_unstemmed | The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica |
| title_short | The relationship among stress-wave-based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in Cryptomeria japonica |
| title_sort | relationship among stress wave based wood stiffness and growth traits revealed by planting density trial with multiple genotypes in cryptomeria japonica |
| topic | Cryptomeria japonica Stem stiffness Stress wave velocity Planting density |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s10086-025-02220-1 |
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