New approach toward the mechanism of long-term heartwood formation applying wood extractives as indicators

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25450240
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Wood science
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Imai Takanori 名古屋大学, 生命農学研究科, 准教授 (20252281)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Nakada Ryogo 国立研究開発法人森林総研究所, 林木育種センター北海道育種場, 課長 (60370847)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 心材 / ノルリグナン / 重合 / 心材形成 / スギ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In general, the contents of heartwood extractives tend to decrease from the outer part toward the inner part of heartwood. As one of the reasons for the decrease of norlignans in sugi heartwood, their secondary alterations were investigated.
Authentic norlignans were enzymatically polymerized in vitro, and five kinds of dimers were isolated and their chemical structures were determined. The chemical structures were supposed as the structural unit in the polymerfraction of sugi heartwood extract: natural norlignan polymer. A norlignan dimer and two kinds of trimers were also isolated from sugi heartwood and their chemical structures were supposed. Furthermore, the contents of the norlignan oligomers tend to increase from the outer part toward the inner part of heartwood. Thus, from the perspective of heartwood formation mechanisms, secondary alterations of the heartwood extractives over time was supposed as one of the causes of their radial decrease toward the inner heartwood.

Free Research Field

樹木生理化学