Photosynthetic characteristics of Pinus koraiensis seedlings under different light regimes.
SUN Yi-rong;ZHU Jiao-jun;YU Li-zhong;YAN Qiao-ling;WANG Kai
2009, 28(05):
850-857 .
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Pinus koraiensis is an ecologically important tree species in Northeast China. To explore its light adaptation characteristics and related eco-physiological mechanisms, the 3-, 5-, and 7-year old P. koraiensis seedlings were transplanted under the conditions of 100%, 60%, 30%, and 15% of full sunlight (marked as FI, II, LI, and WI, respectively), and sampled from forest gap, understory, and edge (marked as G, U and E, respectively) under actual light. The study on the changes of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), chlorophyll (Chl) content per unit leaf area, and specific leaf mass (LMA) showed that the Pn of 3- and 5-year old P. koraiensis in treatments II and LI was similar, and higher than that in treatment FI. 7 years old P. koraiensis had the highest Pn in treatment FI. In all treatments, P. koraiensis had a mono-peak change of Pn, with the peak at 13:00. The dark respiration rate (Rd) and maximum photosynthetic rates (Amax) of 3- and 5-year old P. koraiensis were higher in treatment LI than in treatment FI. The LMA decreased with decreasing light intensity, suggesting that P. koraiensis could effectively adapt to the changes of light condition in this way. No significant differences were observed in the photosynthetic characteristics of 3- and 5-year old P. koraiensis between treatments II and U, and between treatments LI, WI, and E, which suggested that the simulated light conditions matched well with the actual one. The plasticity index of eco-physiological parameters of 3 years old P. koraiensis was the highest. It was concluded that 1) the light requirement of P. koraiensis increased with its increasing age, 2) the optimal light condition for 3- and 5-year old P. koraiensis was 30%〖KG-*2〗-〖KG-*7〗60% of full sunlight, and that for 7 years old P. koraiensis was full sunlight, and 3) the favorable age of P. koraiensis seedlings for transplanting was 3 years old.