Digital image analysis of cross-sectional tracheid shapes in Japanese softwoods using the circularity index and aspect ratio

Image analysis was used in this study to develop a faster, more objective method for quantitatively measuring tracheid shapes on cross section. The morphological features were measured automatically using the circularity index and aspect ratio based on the skeletonized images. The rectangular and hexagonal similarities were introduced to evaluate the tracheid shapes. The results for 18 species of Japanese softwoods showed that the difference in tracheid shapes among the species could be successfully estimated using the quantitative method. In addition, the boundary of latewood might be evaluated based on the change in circularity indexes.The abstract of this study was presented at the 48th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Shizuoka, April 1998