Biological resistance and chemical properties of wood from an agroforestry system

Abstract The aim was to determine the biological resistance and chemical properties of the wood of four species from an agroforestry system: Parapiptadenia rigida , Peltophorum dubium , Schizolobium parahyba and a hybrid of Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis . Mass loss tests were carried out with white rot fungi ( Trametes versicolor – TV; Pycnoporus sanguineus – PS; Ganoderma applanatum – GA) and brown rot fungi ( Gloeophyllum trabeum – GT), and basic density (BD), lignin, extractives, holocellulose and ash were analyzed. S. parahyba (BD: 277 kg m −3 ) in combination with the GA fungus obtained the highest mass loss (17.6 %), as well as for brown rot (7.6 %) followed by E. urophylla × E. grandis (8.1 %; BD: 509 kg m −3 ). P. rigida (BD: 652 kg m −3 ) and P. dubium (BD: 488 kg m −3 ) showed lower mass loss to brown rot (3.4 %; 2.3 %) and GA (3.5 %; 3.9 %). The resistance to mass loss of P. rigida and P. dubium can be explained by the higher percentage of extractives and BD, which was validated by the principal component analysis that explained 86 % of the variance. In addition, they highlight the need for specific treatments for more vulnerable wood ( S. parahyba ), promoting greater efficiency in their use.