The Relationship Between Fibre Characteristics and Pulp-sheet Properties of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit

2 Abstract: This study investigates the relationships between fibre characteristics and pulp-sheet properties of 5-year old trees of Leucaena leucocephala grown under intensively managed alley cropping. Wood chips were subjected to soda pulping in a laboratory-scale digester while slivers were macerated for fibre analysis. Multiple regression equations involving fibre characteristics and their morphological indices were determined to predict the pulp-sheet properties of Leucaena leucocephala at three different freeness levels. Cell-wall thickness and fibre length had the greatest influence on the strength properties of the unbeaten pulp. After beating their influences were largely evident as indices of their derived morphology. However, the regression equations showed that it is not possible to fully categorize the performance of pulp-sheet properties based on a single morphological factor. All the fibre features considered were found to influence the pulp sheet of Leucaena leucocephala.