Effect of growth rate on wood quality of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.): a comparative study of teak grown under differing site quality conditions

The present study was carried out to analyse the effect of rate of growth on the wood quality of teak from samples collected from trees which were grown within India as well as from outside. Teak samples (basal discs) from 14 different locations viz. Nilambur, Malayattoor, Konni, Ranni, Vadavar (TN) and Betul (MP) within India and Myanmar, Thailand, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Sudan, Tanzania and Trinidad outside India were included in the study. To study the effect of growth rate on wood quality, the collected samples were classified as fast grown and slow grown based on their average ring width. Those samples having an average ring width ≥5 mm and those having an average ring width <5 mm were categorised into fast grown and slow grown respectively. The analysis on variation in wood physical, anatomical and biochemical properties between the two categories revealed that, fast grown samples were characterized with higher specific gravity, moisture content (air dry) and shrinkage compared to the slow grown, but properties like vessel diameter, vessel area, ray height, ray width and extractive content (%) was found to be significantly higher for slow grown samples. However, fast and slow grown teak showed similarity with respect to other properties such as heartwood content (%), heartwood colour and bark thickness.