Knowledge of the process by which the cambium produces wood has progressed very slowly and this knowledge gap is largely due to difficulties in visualising the 3D organisation of the cambium and the lack of non-destructive methods with sufficient resolution to study the developmental processes of wood formation. Therefore, Letitia’s research focused on using non-destructive techniques to characterise and quantify the developmental processes in differentiating xylem in eucalypts with a strong focus on the cambium. She developed a complete X-ray CT workflow from sample preparation, to optimised scanning parameters and image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis, which allowed for the estimation of relevant cambial parameters to track developmental changes. She subsequently used this workflow to investigate how water availability preceding a severe drought affects the cambium development of two commercial Eucalyptus clones under well-watered, mild drought, severe drought, and rewatering conditions. She found that antecedent mild drought conditions modified the cambial activity, which was translated into different responses upon subsequent severe drought stress and the recovery dynamics. This study provides the first data on the cambial developmental dynamics of Eucalyptus species subjected to a range of water availabilities using X-ray CT.
