Physicochemical and Anatomical Characteristics for Assessment of Wood Quality of Azadirachta indica A. Juss

Abstract

The Evaluation of Physicochemical and Anatomical Characterization of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Wood was carried out in the Department of Forest Products and Utilisation, College of Forestry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar. Sample tree was harvested at stump height from Balasore district of Odisha and the harvested logs were air dried for 1month from which wood disc of 2inch thickness was transversely cut. From sapwood and heartwood portion of the disc, six sample cuboids were prepared and taken for estimation of its Physicochemical and Anatomical Characteristics. The colour of wood was studied on basis of visual interpretation where the heart wood found to be Reddish to Reddish brown and the Sapwood found to be light yellow in colour. The species found to be fast growing on basis number of growth rings per unit radius length. The heartwood percentage was very high about 90.1% and moisture content of the air dried heartwood sample wood found to be 27.91% with respect to its oven dry weight. The shrinkage in volume of heartwood found to be very less (6.86%) which not much affect the properties of wood.  The air dry specific gravity (0.87) and standard specific gravity (0.63) of the heartwood found to be high and can categorised under class of moderately Heavy–Heavy. The Holocellulose (58.73% & 63.04%), Cellulose content (32.34% & 38.03%) and Lignin content (30.79% & 28.98%) found in Heartwood and Sapwood respectively favouring its utilisation for composite and improved woods, pulp and paper, furniture etc. As the number of anatomic features affects the density, durability and other quality of wood, the parenchyma and vessels number were estimated in cross-sectional (1.06&2.55; 5.73&4.35), radial (2.86&1.05; 2.12&4.45) and tangential section (4.48&3.18; 3.38&1.59) of Heartwood and Sapwood respectively.