VARIATIONS IN THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF TEAK (Tectona grandis L. F.) PLANTED IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Tectona grandis L.f., known as teak, is considered as a promising species for sustainable development in the tropical regions where it has adapted itself. This adaptation is due to its significant plasticity, which combines with biotic and abiotic conditions to alter the properties of the wood. It is therefore, necessary to evaluate the wood in different locations where the species is grown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the physical properties of the wood as a function of the diametric class and in the longitudinal direction of the trunk, in a plantation in the Brazilian Amazon. To achieve the objective, 20 individual plants were cut down and classified into four diametrical classes. Speciments with dimensions of 2 x 2 x 2 cm3 were removed in a longitudinal direction (base, middle, and top) from the discs taken from the trees. Transverse, tangential, radial, and volumetric wood shrinkage values were obtained, along with anisotropy and density for both the diametrical and longitudinal classes. These variables were subjected to an analysis of variance, the Tukey’s test at 5%, and an analysis of the main components. The values in the diameter class classification were 0.37, 1.12, 1.68, 3.04, 0.88, and 0.535, while in the longitudinal classification of the trunk they were 0.37, 1.41, 1.84, 3.42, 1.01, and 0.526 for the transverse, tangential, radial, and volumetric shrinkage, anisotropy, and density, respectively. The density was higher when the diameter varied from 21.4 cm to 32.60 cm, and the tangential shrinkage, volumetric shrinkage, and anisotropy were smaller at the base of the trunk, possibly due to the formation of adult wood, which showed a greater stability of the wood