Mean (±SE) diameter, age, moisture content (MC), specific gravity (SG, based on oven-dried and green volume), and flexural modulus of elasticity (E). Sprouts were harvested before leaf drop (pre-dormant) or after leaf drop (dormant) and conditioned at 21.1°C (warm) or −6.7°C (cold). Means with the same letter were not significantly different with a Tukey HSD comparison (alpha = 0.05).
| Treatment | Diameter (cm) | Age | MC (%) | SG | E (MPa) | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-dormant warm | 3.6 ± 0.06a | 3.5 ± 0.10a | 51.0 ± 0.35b | 0.55 ± 0.01c | 1015.6 ± 49.2b | 28 |
| Pre-dormant cold | 3.6 ± 0.06a | 3.7 ± 0.08a | 50.0 ± 0.35b | 0.60 ± 0.01b | 1142.5 ± 49.7ab | 30 |
| Dormant warm | 3.3 ± 0.05b | 2.9 ± 0.05b | 57.6 ± 1.16a | 0.64 ± 0.01a | 1214.3 ± 49.0a | 30 |
| Dormant cold | 3.3 ± 0.05b | 3.0 ± 0.08b | 55.8 ± 1.25a | 0.64 ± 0.01a | 1290.0 ± 57.2a | 30 |
| P-value | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.0028 |