Effect of Temperature and Photoperiod on Growth and Dormancy of Betula Papyrifera

Abstract

The effects of day/night temperatures and photoperiod on the growth and dormancy of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) were studied in seedlings from different geographic origins. The response of Alaskan plants to temperature and photoperiod was distinctly different from other seed sources. Alaskan plants required very long days to prevent cessation of growth while plants from southern seed sources grew on photoperiods as short as 14 hr. Low night temperature (14 C) antagonized the promotive action of long photoperiods in Alaskan plants but had little effect in other seed sources. High day temperatures offset the inhibitory effect of the cool night to a lesser degree in Alaskan plants than in plants from other locations. Dormancy induced by short photoperiods was antagonized (relieved ?) to a lesser degree by high night temperatures in Alaskan birch than in other seed sources. Betula papyrifera var. humilis from Alaska may be an incipient species since its morphological traits are accompanied by adaptive physiological responses to its environment. These responses are as distinct as its morphological characteristics.

Forest responses to climate change in the northwestern United States: Ecophysiological foundations for adaptive management

“…Low night temperatures hasten bud set (Junttila, 1980;Downs and Bevington, 1981), and in some very northern clones of Populus, bud set can be induced using low temperatures alone (i.e., under a 24-h photoperiod; G.T. Howe, pers.…”

Phytochrome control of short‐day‐induced bud set in black cottonwood

“…which will grow indefinitely under long days (LDs) but will stop growitig and set a terminal bud under SDs (Pauley andPerry 1954, Howe et al, 1995), SDs are known to induce other responses in trees as well, including shoot tip abortion, anthocyanin accumulation, leaf senescence and abscission, accumulation of bark storage proteins and changes in branching habit and biomass partitioning (Gamer and AUard 1923, Nitsch 1957b, Jtinttila 1976, Coleman et al, 1991, Oleksyn et al, 1992, Howe etal, 1995, Photoperiodic ecotypes which differ in their response to daylength are fotind in many temperate-zone tree species. In the northern hemisphere, for example, critical photoperiods for bud set atid growth cessation are often greater in northern than in southern populations (Heide 1974, Hibj0rg 1978, Junttila 1980, Downs and Bevington 1981, Howe et al, 1995, This can lead to large differences in growth when northern and southern populations are grown under the same photoperiodic regime. When black cottonwood trees were grown in a common-garden experiment in Weston, Massachttsetts, for example, the date of height growth cessation varied from about 20 June, for a clone fi'om Alaska (60° N Iat,), to 28 October, for a clone from southern California (35° N Iat,) (Pauley and Perry 1954), Results from experiments in controlled environments indicate that ecotypic (and clinal) differences in the timing of bud set and growth cessation under nattiral conditions are largely dtte to differences in photoperiodic response, including differences in critical photoperiod (Heide 1974, HSbjorg 1978, Junttila 1980, Downs and Bevington 1981, Howe et al, 1995, as well as the magnitude of the photoperiodic response and photoperiodic sensitivity (setisu Howe et al, 1995, Vaartaja 1959, 1961, Dinus 1968, Although SDs induce a number of coordinated responses, vegetative bud set has received considerable attention because tbe timing of bud set is highly heritable, easy to measure and closely associated witti the timing of growth cessation and the initiation of cold acclimation (Campbell and Sorensen 1973, Kuser and Ching 1980…”

“…In the northern hemisphere, for example, critical photoperiods for bud set atid growth cessation are often greater in northern than in southern populations (Heide 1974, Hibj0rg 1978, Junttila 1980, Downs and Bevington 1981, Howe et al, 1995, This can lead to large differences in growth when northern and southern populations are grown under the same photoperiodic regime. When black cottonwood trees were grown in a common-garden experiment in Weston, Massachttsetts, for example, the date of height growth cessation varied from about 20 June, for a clone fi'om Alaska (60° N Iat,), to 28 October, for a clone from southern California (35° N Iat,) (Pauley and Perry 1954), Results from experiments in controlled environments indicate that ecotypic (and clinal) differences in the timing of bud set and growth cessation under nattiral conditions are largely dtte to differences in photoperiodic response, including differences in critical photoperiod (Heide 1974, HSbjorg 1978, Junttila 1980, Downs and Bevington 1981, Howe et al, 1995, as well as the magnitude of the photoperiodic response and photoperiodic sensitivity (setisu Howe et al, 1995, Vaartaja 1959, 1961, Dinus 1968, Although SDs induce a number of coordinated responses, vegetative bud set has received considerable attention because tbe timing of bud set is highly heritable, easy to measure and closely associated witti the timing of growth cessation and the initiation of cold acclimation (Campbell and Sorensen 1973, Kuser and Ching 1980, Weber et al, 1985, Riemenschneider et al, 1992, 1994, Altbough seed sources and genotypes with superior height growth tend to be those that stop growing and set bud later in the season (Rehfeldt 1983, Riemenschneider et al, 1992, 1994, Farmer 1993, Li and Adams 1993, delayed bud set and growth cessation are also associated with an increased risk of damage from fall frost and winter cold (Campbell and Sorensen 1973, Kuser and Ching 1980…”

Meta-Analysis Identifies Potential Molecular Markers for Endodormancy in Crown Buds of Leafy Spurge; a Herbaceous Perennial

“…(Welling et al 1997), birch ( Betula papyrifera; Downs and Bevington 1981), and grape ( Vitis riparia; Fennel and Hoover 1991) are influenced by photoperiod, whereas in apple ( Malus spp. ), pear ( Pyrus spp.…”