Towards sustainable indigenous Mahogany production in Ghana: Phase II, refining the silviculture “tool kit” and practical training for industrial-foresters and community farmers.

2008

English

The variation in fibre length, fibre diameter, fibre lumen width, fibre wall thickness and basic density of ten year old Khaya grandifoliola wood from the dry semi-deciduous, moist semi-deciduous and the wet evergreen zones of Ghana were investigated. Three trees were selected from plantations in each ecological zone. Axial position sample were collected from 5%, 50% and 95% of tree merchantable height. Heartwood and sapwood were carefully differentiated for radial positions. The mean values of fibre length in (mm) range were 1.11, 1.23 and 1.18; fibre diameter in (μm) were 21.87, 20.78 and 20.91; fibre lumen width were 14.00, 12.35 and 12.67; fibre wall thickness were 7.87, 8.43 and 8.24 while the mean basic density values in (g/cm³) were 0.7079, 0.7105 and 0.7291 for dry semi-deciduous, moist semi-deciduous and wet evergreen zones respectively. Fibre length and wall thickness increased as moisture level increased across from dry to moist zones, and decrease from moist to wet zones but fibre diameter and lumen width decreased from dry to moist zone and increased from moist to wet zone. Basic density however, increased as moisture level increased across from dry to wet zone. In the radial position, fibre length and wall thickness increased from dry to wet zone; fibre lumen width decreased from dry to wet zone but fibre diameter decreased from dry to moist zone, and increased from moist to wet zone. Analysis of variance used for mean separation were significant (p < 0.05) for fibre dimension but rather contrary for basic density.

Govina, J. K.; Opuni-Frimpong, E.; Darkwa, A. N.