Stem girdling affects the onset of autumn senescence in aspen in interaction with metabolic signals.

ABSTRACT: Autumn senescence in aspen (Populus tremula) is precisely timed every year to relocate nutrients from leaves to storage organs before winter. Here we demonstrate how stem girdling, which leads to the accumulation of photosynthates in the crown, influences senescence. Girdling resulted in an early onset of senescence, but the chlorophyll degradation was slower and nitrogen more efficiently resorbed than during normal autumn senescence. Girdled stems accumulated or retained anthocyanins potentially providing photoprotection in senescing leaves. Girdling of one stem in a clonal stand sharing the same root stock did not affect senescence in the others, showing that the stems were autonomous in this respect. One girdled stem with unusually high chlorophyll and nitrogen contents maintained low c

SUBMITTER: Lihavainen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8248097 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature