Biologia plantarum 53:588-592, 2009 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-009-0107-y

Leaf morphological and physiological responses to drought and shade in two Populus cathayana populations

X. Huang1,2, X. Xiao1, S. Zhang1, H. Korpelainen3, C. Li1,*
1 Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, P.R. China
2 Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Southwest Forestry College, Kunming, P.R. China
3 Department of Applied Biology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Cuttings from two contrasting Populus cathayana Rehder populations originating from Hanyuan (wet climate) and Ledu (dry climate) in western China were grown in a greenhouse to determine the effects of drought, shade and their interaction on the morphological and physiological traits of leaves. The dry climate population was more droughttolerant than the wet climate population, as indicated by smaller decreases in the leaf relative water content (RWC) and net photosynthetic rate (PN), as well as by greater increases in antioxidative enzyme activities and free proline content under drought. On the other hand, the negative effects of shade on leaf traits were more pronounced in the dry climate population, which suggested that the dry climate population was more light-demanding. In addition, moderate shade alleviated the drought stress of P. cathayana not only by improving the leaf RWC but also by maintaining the positive carbon balance. In contrast, severe shade aggravated drought stress as indicated by a pronounced decrease in leaf size, carbon and nitrogen contents, maximum PN, free proline content and antioxidative enzyme activities.

Keywords: antioxidative enzymes; leaf area and thickness; net photosynthetic rate; nitrogen-use efficiency; proline
Subjects: ascorbate peroxidase; catalase; guaiacol peroxidase; leaf growth; nitrogen use efficiency; photon flux density; photosynthetic rate; poplar; Populus cathayana; proline; relative water content (RWC); respiration; superoxide dismutase (SOD); water stress

Received: September 20, 2008; Accepted: March 9, 2009; Published: September 1, 2009Show citation

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Huang, X., Xiao, X., Zhang, S., Korpelainen, H., & Li, C. (2009). Leaf morphological and physiological responses to drought and shade in two Populus cathayana populations. Biologia plantarum, 53(3), 588-592. doi: 10.1007/s10535-009-0107-y.
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