Color tests for differentiating heartwood and sapwoodof some Indonesian woods

Abstract

A study was conducted to know the responses of pH indicators (alizarin reds and methyl orange) and starch indicator detected the sapwood and the heartwood boundary in some of indonesian woods, particuraly Indonesian hardwoods which have not the differences of color between heartwood and sapwood The samples which was formed the disks cut from balsa (Ochmma lagopus SW.), gmelina (Gmelina arborea Roxb), pulai (Alstonia .scholaris R Br.), sengon (Parasenanthes fulcaluna (L.) Nielsen) and two softwoods tikes agathis (Agathis dammara WARB). and tusam (Pmus merkusii Jungh. Et de Vr.) in three water content condition and it was sprayed with the indicators solution, and then periodically observed the color changes on the samples