Characterization of cork growth and quality in one region of production.

TitleCharacterization of cork growth and quality in one region of production.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2000
AuthorsFerreira, A., Lopes F., & Pereira H.
JournalANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE
Volume57
Issue2
Pagination187 - 193
Date Published2000///
KeywordsCork, Growth, Porosity, Quality, variability
Abstract

Cork growth and quality were characterised in 5 cork oak stands within the production area of the Sado basin (Alcacer do Sal, Portugal) based on a field sampling on 40 trees/stand. Cork thickness was on average 33.8 mm, with 75% of the samples in the commercial classes above 27 mm suitable for production of stoppers. Porosity measured by image analysis was 4.6% on average. Between toe and between stand variability of cork quality was large. The annual average cork growth for a production cycle with 8 complete growth years was 4.1 mm, being highest during the years following cork extraction and decreasing during the cycle. For this region, a production cycle of 9 years is adequate for raw-material industrial requirements. The results show the importance of between tree variability in growth and especially in quality.