Properties of Gliricidia Wood (Gliricidia sepium) Intercropped with Cocoa (Theobroma cocoa) in Malaysia

Trees planted from agroforestry practices can become valuable resourcesin meeting the wood requirements of many nations. Gliricidia sepium is anexotic species introduced to the agricultural sector in Malaysia mainly forproviding shade for cocoa and coffee plantations. This study investigates itswood physical properties (specific gravity and moisture content) and fibremorphology (length, lumen diameter and cell wall thickness) of G.sepiumat three intervals according to age groups (three, five and seven years ofages). Specific gravity (0.72) was significantly higher at seven years of ageas compared to five (0.41) and three (0.35) years age group with a meanof 0.43 (p≤0.05). Mean moisture content was 58.3% with no significantdifference existing between the tree age groups. Fibre diameter (22.4 mm)was significantly lower (p≤0.05) for the trees which were three years of agewhen compared to five and seven years age groups (26.6 mm and 24.7 mm),respectively. Means of fibre length, lumen diameter and cell wall thicknesswere 0.83 mm, 18.3 mm, and 6.2 mm, respectively, with no significantdifferences detected between trees in all age groups. Further calculation on the coefficient of suppleness and runkel ratio suggest that wood from G.sepium may have the potential for insulation board manufacturing and paper making. However, future studies should experiment the utilisation of this species for these products to determine its full potential.