Influence of growth rate, elevation and sunlight on the anatomical and Physico-mechanical properties of plantation-grown palasan (Calamus merrillii Becc.) canes
2009
Abasolo, W.P. | Lomboy, O.C.
The influence of growth rate, elevation, and sunlight exposure on the properties of plantation-grown palasan canes was verified in order to promote the utilization of cultivated canes to encourage the establishment of more palasan plantations. Properties evaluated were fiber length, wall thickness, fiber distribution, oven dried specific gravity, Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and Modulus of Rupture (MOR) using standard procedures. Growth rate ranged from 0.36 to 3.79 m/yr, elevation was from 10 to 980 masl and sunlight exposure from 20 to 90.28%, showing that palasan plants can thrive in varying site conditions. Among the properties evaluated, only fiber percentage was moderately affected by both growth rate (r=0.53) and amount of sunlight exposure (r=0.51). Elevation, on the other hand, moderately, influenced wall thickness (r=0.45). Mechanical properties of the cane were unaffected by the three parameters. Therefore, the study proved that palasan plant is an ideal plantation species because it thrives in any kind of site and its properties are minimally affected by the major site characteristics such as elevation and sunlight exposure. Thus, it is recommended that more palasan plantations be established to provide a sustainable supply of raw canes to the rattan furniture industry.
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