Effect of growth site type, felling season, storage time and kiln drying on contents and distributions of phenolic extractives and low molar mass carbohydrates in secondary xylem of silver birch Betula pendula

Holzforschung ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Mononen ◽  
L. Alvila ◽  
T. T. Pakkanen

Abstract The effect of growth site type, felling season, storage time and kiln drying on the contents and distributions of phenolic extractives and low molar mass carbohydrates in secondary xylem of silver birch Betula pendula was studied. The results indicated that the total amount of methanol-soluble extractives did not change markedly under the prevailing conditions of the study. However, the contents of phenolic compounds, (+)-catechin and (+)-catechin-7-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, and low molar mass sugars, D(+)-xylose, D(−)-fructose, D(+)-glucose, sucrose, maltose and raffinose, changed with season, storage time, radial location in the stem or growth site type. The glycosidic bond in (+)-catechin-7-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, sucrose, maltose and raffinose was hydrolysed with kiln drying, resulting in elevated contents of the monosaccharides, D(+)-xylose, D(−)-fructose, D(+)-glucose, in kiln dried boards. Surprisingly, the content of (+)-catechin did not increase simultaneously with the breakdown of (+)-catechin-7-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, indicating that (+)-catechin may polymerise or have another bonding pattern with other wood components due to elevated temperatures during kiln drying. In addition, the relative amount of phenolic compounds, (+)-catechin monomer and its glycoside, (+)-catechin-7-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, in the methanol extracts decreased with partial vacuum drying.

Holzforschung ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 519-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eveliina Hiltunen ◽  
Tuula T. Pakkanen ◽  
Leila Alvila

Abstract Three new phenolic compounds (4-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl-6-O-syringoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl-6-O-syringoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, and 4-hydroxymethyl-2-methoxyphenyl-6-O-syringoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) and 15 known phenolic compounds (two phenyl glucoside esters, five lignans, three diarylheptanoids and five simple aldehydes or ketones) were isolated from the secondary xylem of mature Betula pendula Roth. The compounds were identified on the basis of their NMR (1D and 2D) and mass spectral data. In total, 23 phenolic extractives present in the sapwood of two winter-dormant B. pendula trees felled at different growing sites (rich in nutrients and scarce in nutrients) were quantified by GC. Their amounts were mostly low, 0.01–0.18 mg g−1 of dry wood. Total amounts of the phenolic extractives isolated were 1.2 mg g−1 of dry wood (5.6% of the total methanol-soluble extractives) in the tree felled at the site rich in nutrients, and 1.9 mg g–1 of dry wood (10% of the total methanol-soluble extractives) in the tree felled at the site scarce in nutrients.


Holzforschung ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaana Liimatainen ◽  
Maarit Karonen ◽  
Jari Sinkkonen ◽  
Marjo Helander ◽  
Juha-Pekka Salminen

Abstract A method has been developed for the characterization of biologically active silver birch (Betula pendula) inner bark phenolics based on high-performance liquid chromatography/diode array detector (HPLC-DAD)/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). It was demonstrated that the inner bark contains high amounts of flavonoids, arylbutanoids, diarylheptanoids, simple phenolic compounds, phenolic acids, lignans, and procyanidins. Altogether, 30 individual compounds were characterized based on their ultraviolet (UV) and MS data. Structures of 22 compounds were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition to previously reported phenolic compounds, 12 compounds were identified in silver birch inner bark for the first time; two of them are novel compounds: 3-β-glucopyranosyloxy-2-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenyl)-propan-1-one and 1,7-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-heptanol 3-O-β-ap-iofuranosyl-(1→2)-β-glucopyranoside.


Holzforschung ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-113
Author(s):  
Eveliina Hiltunen ◽  
Tuula T. Pakkanen ◽  
Leila Alvila

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 599
Author(s):  
Héloïse Dubois ◽  
Hugues Claessens ◽  
Gauthier Ligot

Forest health problems arising from climate change, pests and pathogens are a threat to the main timber tree species. As a result, silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) has become a precious asset for meeting oncoming forestry challenges in western Europe. However, silviculture guidelines to produce high-value birch logs in this region are lacking. Producing large-sized birch trunks requires crown release, i.e., removing crown competitors around selected target trees. These interventions are currently seldom carried out or else too late when the growth potential of the trees has already diminished. This study set out to ascertain the diameter at breast height (dbh) that could be reached by crown-released birch, determine dbh-associated crown diameters, and further characterize the gain obtained from early crown release on birch dbh growth. We measured 704 birch trees that had undergone crown release in 38 naturally regenerated pure birch stands in southern Belgium and in northeastern France. We then evaluated the variation in stem and crown diameter, and analyzed increments in response to the earliness of the interventions in three subsamples, also compared with control target birch. We found that trees with a dbh of 50 cm could be grown within 60 years. Based on crown diameter, to produce 40, 50 and 60 cm dbh trunk, the distance required between target birch trees at the end of the rotation was around 8, 10 and 12 m. With no intervention and in ordinary dense birch regenerations, the dbh increment was found to decline once the stand reached age 4–7 years. Starting crown release in stands aged 4–5 years can double the dbh increment of target trees and provide a continual gain that may last up to 20 years. When birch crowns are released after 9–12 years, it may already be too late for them to recover their best growth rate. Our contribution should help complete emerging guidelines in support of birch silviculture development.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4633
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ostapiuk ◽  
Łukasz Kurach ◽  
Maciej Strzemski ◽  
Jacek Kurzepa ◽  
Anna Hordyjewska

Silver birch, Betula pendula Roth, is one of the most common trees in Europe. Due to its content of many biologically active substances, it has long been used in medicine and cosmetics, unlike the rare black birch, Betula obscura Kotula. The aim of the study was therefore to compare the antioxidant properties of extracts from the inner and outer bark layers of both birch trees towards the L929 line treated with acetaldehyde. Based on the lactate dehydrogenase test and the MTT test, 10 and 25% concentrations of extracts were selected for the antioxidant evaluation. All extracts at tested concentrations reduced the production of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion radical, and 25% extract decreased malonic aldehyde formation in acetaldehyde-treated cells. The chemical composition of bark extracts was accessed by IR and HPLC-PDA methods and surprisingly, revealed a high content of betulin and lupeol in the inner bark extract of B. obscura. Furthermore, IR analysis revealed differences in the chemical composition of the outer bark between black and silver birch extracts, indicating that black birch may be a valuable source of numerous biologically active substances. Further experiments are required to evaluate their potential against neuroinflammation, cancer, viral infections, as well as their usefulness in cosmetology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7269
Author(s):  
Jean-Stéphane Venisse ◽  
Eele Õunapuu-Pikas ◽  
Maxime Dupont ◽  
Aurélie Gousset-Dupont ◽  
Mouadh Saadaoui ◽  
...  

Aquaporin water channels (AQPs) constitute a large family of transmembrane proteins present throughout all kingdoms of life. They play key roles in the flux of water and many solutes across the membranes. The AQP diversity, protein features, and biological functions of silver birch are still unknown. A genome analysis of Betula pendula identified 33 putative genes encoding full-length AQP sequences (BpeAQPs). They are grouped into five subfamilies, representing ten plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), eight tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), eight NOD26-like intrinsic proteins (NIPs), four X intrinsic proteins (XIPs), and three small basic intrinsic proteins (SIPs). The BpeAQP gene structure is conserved within each subfamily, with exon numbers ranging from one to five. The predictions of the aromatic/arginine selectivity filter (ar/R), Froger’s positions, specificity-determining positions, and 2D and 3D biochemical properties indicate noticeable transport specificities to various non-aqueous substrates between members and/or subfamilies. Nevertheless, overall, the BpePIPs display mostly hydrophilic ar/R selective filter and lining-pore residues, whereas the BpeTIP, BpeNIP, BpeSIP, and BpeXIP subfamilies mostly contain hydrophobic permeation signatures. Transcriptional expression analyses indicate that 23 BpeAQP genes are transcribed, including five organ-related expressions. Surprisingly, no significant transcriptional expression is monitored in leaves in response to cold stress (6 °C), although interesting trends can be distinguished and will be discussed, notably in relation to the plasticity of this pioneer species, B. pendula. The current study presents the first detailed genome-wide analysis of the AQP gene family in a Betulaceae species, and our results lay a foundation for a better understanding of the specific functions of the BpeAQP genes in the responses of the silver birch trees to cold stress.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document