Influence of water supply on cork increment and quality in Quercus suber L.

Abstract Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) grows in the Mediterranean basis including Portugal and is the main species producing cork which is used prevailingly in stopper industry. In our paper, cork from Quercus suber L. over three consecutive harvests from a traditional rainfed plot, between 1999 and 2017, and cork from an irrigated plot, harvested in 2017, were studied. We applied two X–ray image analysis technologies – X–ray micro-computed tomography and X–ray microdensitometry. Cork development, related with intern porosity, growth and density was studied with the objective of understanding the cork characteristics evolution over the years and with a different water regime. The outcomes of this study suggested an increase in density and porosity over harvests and a slight decrease of the cork growth. Cork samples from the irrigated plot, compared with cork from the same year of extraction in the rainfed plot, showed higher growth rate and higher porosity. The results demonstrated the contribution of climatic factor of precipitation as well as the silviculture model in cork characteristics, showing the relevance of the present work for the definition of the management practices. These may be determinant for enhancing cork quality and quantity production through silviculture measures. Our findings can be particularly useful for stakeholders especially under the conditions of Portugal in terms of increasing the value of the industrial chain of cork.