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Impacts of bud set and lammas phenology on root:shoot biomass partitioning and carbon gain physiology in poplar

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Timing of bud set and occurrence of lammas in trees can alter growth partitioning (i.e., root:shoot ratios), while only bud set effectively modifies carbon gain by increasing photosynthesis-related physiological traits.

Abstract

Bud set and lammas (second bud flushing) phenology may strongly influence growth, physiology, and biomass in trees. To test effects of these phenological events, 54 individuals from 16 genotypes of black cottonwood poplar (Populus trichocarpa) were grown in a potted trial under greenhouse conditions (with extended daylengths promoting growth), followed by open-air cultivation (with natural daylengths promoting bud set and/or lammas). Trees were monitored for phenology, repeatedly measured for photosynthesis-related traits, harvested for biomass, and assessed for growth partitioning (separating above- and belowground parts). We grouped trees by phenology for comparisons: (1) trees with early summer bud set, (2) trees with early summer bud set that underwent lammas, (3) trees with late summer bud set (August), and (4) trees with bud set occurring in autumn (September). We found that bud set timing positively affected growth partitioning where earlier bud set resulted in shorter trees with higher root:shoot biomass ratios (by increasing root mass). Lammas growth altered these ratios by significantly increasing shoot growth relative to belowground growth. Trees with bud set occurring in late summer also had higher root:shoot biomass ratios (by increasing root mass) compared to trees setting bud in autumn. Occurrence of bud set coincided with modified physiology of the existing canopy where photosynthesis-related traits were enhanced relative to trees still actively growing. These physiological changes were unaltered by occurrence of lammas. This suggests that bud set prompts a significant, coordinated mechanism of higher carbon gain physiology and belowground biomass accumulation in plants within a “post-bud set” phase.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC Canada) Discovery Grant to R.D.G. We thank D. Kaplan for greenhouse assistance, and R. Soolanayakanahally and J. Klápště for helpful discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, Forest Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Athena D. McKown, Robert D. Guy & Linda K. Quamme

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  1. Athena D. McKown
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  2. Robert D. Guy
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  3. Linda K. Quamme
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Correspondence to Athena D. McKown.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by K. Masaka.

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McKown, A.D., Guy, R.D. & Quamme, L.K. Impacts of bud set and lammas phenology on root:shoot biomass partitioning and carbon gain physiology in poplar. Trees 30, 2131–2141 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-016-1439-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-016-1439-9

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