Cyclophytic effects on wood structure in Pinusradiata D. Don. II. Tracheid morphology
The effects of apical ontogeny on xylem morphology in Pinusradiata were examined in grafted trees and in clonal pairs of trees grown from cuttings from hedge- and tree-form donors (H and T). At the time of sampling the grafted rootstocks were 21 years old, and trees from H and T plants were 11 years old from the date of planting rooted cuttings. In grafted trees tracheids were longer, and the rate of increase in tracheid length was greater above the graft. Since growth rings were narrower above the graft, the difference in rate of increase in tracheid length above and below the graft was greater when plotted against distance from pith than against growth ring number. In comparisons of H and T plants, T plants (expected to be at a later stage of apical ontogeny) produced fewer but longer and wider tracheids. Cell wall volumes per tracheid were greater in T plants, but because the tracheid diameters in H plants were smaller, wall volumes per unit tracheid volumes were consistently greater in H plants. The role of apical ontogeny in explaining patterns of anatomical variation within the stem is discussed. H and T plants of radiata pine were from the three mainland populations: Año Nuevo, Monterey, and Cambria. The Año Nuevo population produced the greatest numbers and the largest tracheids. The Monterey population had the shortest tracheids amongst H plants, but their tracheid lengths were equal to those of the Año Nuevo population in T plants.