Comparative analysis of stem and branch biometrics in wood samples from apricot, plum, and cherry for papermaking applications

This study evaluated and compared the biometric properties of wood from three fruit tree species: apricot, plum, and cherry. Three healthy trees from each species were randomly selected and sampled from gardens in Shahriyar, Tehran Province, Iran. Biometric analysis was conducted on fiber samples taken from radial positions at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the stem and branch radius. The Franklin method was used for fiber separation, and 30 fiber dimensions were measured per sample. The maximum fiber length was observed in apricot stem wood at 50% radius (1282 µm), and the minimum in apricot branch wood at 25% radius (835 µm). Across all three species, stem wood showed higher values for fiber length, slenderness coefficient, Runkel ratio, and rigidity ratio compared to branch wood. These properties generally increased from pith to bark, and the variations were statistically significant at the 99% confidence level.