Physiological girdling of pine trees via phloem chilling: proof of concept

Johnsen, Kurt H.; Maier, Chris A.; Sanchez, Felipe G.; Anderson, Peter H.; Butnor, John R.; Waring, Richard H.; Linder, Sune

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.2006.01610.x

Cited by 67 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…2A,B) suggest such a feedback inhibition. Several girdling studies (Iglesias et al, 2002;Bondada and Syvertsen, 2005;Johnsen et al, 2007;Cheng et al, 2008;Rivas et al, 2008) have reported this P n inhibition which they attributed to the decreased sink demand in girdled trees. In literature two processes are described which might trigger inhibition of P n : stomatal closure (Williams et al, 2000;Cheng et al, 2008;Domec and Pruyn, 2008) and damage to the photosynthesis system (Myers et al, 1999;Bondada and Syvertsen, 2005;Rivas et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussion Double Girdling Affects Both the Carbon And Watermentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Double girdling completely blocks the downward phloem transport from the leaves to the roots, while the upward water flow from the roots to the leaves is maintained (Daudet et al, 2005;Johnsen et al, 2007). Accordingly, the carbon status of the trees was changed, since the roots could no longer function as a major sink for new assimilates after double girdling.…”

Section: Discussion Double Girdling Affects Both the Carbon And Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tree Girdling: A Tool to Improve Our Understanding of Coupled Sugar and Water Transport

Schepper¹,

Steppe²

2013

Acta Hortic.

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(max 300 words)Girdling can be used as a valuable research tool to improve our understanding of the integrated water (xylem) and sugar (phloem) transport. Therefore, girdling was applied in two ways on young oak trees (Quercus robur L.): manipulation of the sugar flow by mechanically removing a half band of bark (halfgirdling) and a complete band of bark at two different heights (double girdling). The double girdling effects on both the water and sugar transport were investigated by analysing stem diameter variations, photosynthesis, xylem sap flow and concentrations of carbohydrates. The double-girdled oak trees could be divided in three stem zones: (1) the upper stem zone (U) still receiving new assimilates from the leaves, (2) the lowest stem zone (L) receiving only stored sugars from the roots, and (3) the middle stem zone (M) completely isolated from crown and roots. As downward carbon transport was interrupted by girdling, the stem expansion and carbohydrate content increased in U, indicating that U became the major sink instead of the roots. In contrast to U, stem expansion and carbohydrate content decreased in the two lower stem zones (M and L). Furthermore, a decrease in photosynthesis and sap flow rate was observed, which could be attributed to an indirect girdling effect. In the half-girdled trees, a labelling with radio-active 11 C was applied to visualise the sugar flow in small stem segments. The images of the labelled sugar flows showed that the translocation in the transport phloem was sectorial in both treated and untreated trees. However, half-girdling demonstrated that this sectorial behaviour was plastic and that lateral sugar translocation in the transport phloem was enhanced after wounding. In conclusion, different ways of girdling were successfully applied to test and confirm several in literature proposed hypotheses.

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Section: Discussion Double Girdling Affects Both the Carbon And Watermentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussion Double Girdling Affects Both the Carbon And Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Girdling: A Tool to Improve Our Understanding of Coupled Sugar and Water Transport

Schepper¹,

Steppe²

2013

Acta Hortic.

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“…Nevertheless, the model fitted better with 2014 growth rates. Johnsen et al (2007) mentioned that girdling is destructive and irreversible. Ultimately, our study showed that the Scots pine trees managed to survive for two years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of stem girdling on xylem and phloem formation in Scots pine

Fajstavr¹,

Giagli²,

Vavrčík³

et al. 2017

Silva Fenn.

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Highlights• Stem girdling ceased the cambial activity, below the girdled area, immediately after the removal of the bark strip.• Pinus sylvestris survived for up to two years after stem girdling.• The girdled trees formed phloem cells above the girdled area but failed to form latewood cells in the next growing season. AbstractScots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a resilient, wide spread species. This paper reports on the xylem and phloem cell formation process, before and after, the species was put under artificial stress by stem girdling. Microcore method was applied to a healthy control group and a standing group of girdled trees within an 80-year-old pine forest for two consecutive growing seasons (2013 and 2014). The stem girdling was applied in the middle of the first growing season (July 2013). Cambial activity timings (onset and cessation of cell division), cell formation intensity, cell differentiation, and the dynamics of the annual radial increment in the stem were analyzed. Cambial activity was inhibited and eventually ceased below the stem girdling immediately after the removal of the strip. Therefore, no latewood tracheids were formed. However, above the stem girdling and in the control trees, cell formation and tissue differentiation continued until the end of the growing season, with the girdled trees moving at a less intensive pace but for a longer period of time. During the following growing season (2014), the cambial zone was reactivated only above the stem girdling, not below, and eventually the girdled trees died. In 2014, the onset of the cambial activity was delayed and the division rate of the cells was slower in the girdled trees. Furthermore, the girdled trees formed less phloem cells than the control trees.

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“…Thermocouples were inserted into pin-sized openings in the bark created with a stylus to the depth of the cambium to continuously monitor phloem temperature of each branch. Cooling of phloem tissues was achieved by circulating chilled liquid (ethylene glycol) from a cold-block system through plastic tubing encircling branches, similar to the system used by Johnsen et al (2007). Branches assigned to the cooling treatment were wrapped with flexible plastic tubing to create a 30 cm long collar that was then covered with insulation.…”

Section: Branch Cooling and Collection Of Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental branch cooling increases foliar sugar and anthocyanin concentrations in sugar maple at the end of the growing season

et al. 2017

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Autumnal leaf anthocyanin expression is enhanced following exposure to a variety of environmental stresses and may represent an adaptive benefit of protecting leaves from those stresses, thereby allowing for prolonged sugar and nutrient resorption. Past work has shown that experimentally induced sugar accumulations following branch girdling triggers anthocyanin biosynthesis. We hypothesized that reduced phloem transport at low autumnal temperatures may increase leaf sugar concentrations that stimulate anthocyanin production, resulting in enhanced tree-and landscape-scale color change. We used refrigerant-filled tubing to cool individual branches in a mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) tree to test whether phloem cooling would trigger foliar sugar accumulations and enhance anthocyanin biosynthesis. Cooling increased foliar sucrose, glucose, and fructose concentrations 2-to nearly 10-fold (depending on the specific sugar and sampling date) relative to controls and increased anthocyanin concentrations by approximately the same amount. Correlation analyses indicated a strong and steady positive relationship between anthocyanin and sugar concentrations, which was consistent with a mechanistic link between cooling-induced changes in these constituents. Tested here at the branch level, we propose that low temperature induced reductions in phloem transport may be responsible for increases in foliar sugars that trigger anthocyanin displays at grander scales.Key words: fall leaf color, low temperature, sucrose, glucose, fructose, Acer saccharum.Résumé : L'apparition des anthocyanines dans les feuilles à l'automne est amplifiée par l'exposition à divers stress environnementaux et pourrait représenter un avantage adaptatif en protégeant les feuilles contre ces stress; ce qui permettrait par conséquent de prolonger la résorption des sucres et des nutriments. Des travaux antérieurs ont montré que l'accumulation expérimentalement induite des sucres après avoir annelé des branches déclenche la biosynthèse des anthocyanines. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse que le ralentissement du transport dans le phloème causé par les températures basses à l'automne pourrait augmenter la concentration des sucres; ce qui stimulerait la production des anthocyanines et entraînerait un changement de couleur plus intense à l'échelle de l'arbre et du paysage. Nous avons utilisé une tubulure contenant un fluide frigorigène pour refroidir des branches dans un érable à sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.) mature afin de tester si le refroidissement du phloème déclencherait une accumulation des sucres dans les feuilles et augmenterait la biosynthèse des anthocyanines. Le refroidissement a augmenté la concentration de sucrose, de glucose et de fructose dans les feuilles de 2 à près de 10 fois (dépendemment de la nature du sucre et de la date d'échantillonnage) comparativement aux branches témoins et a aussi augmenté la concentration des anthocyanines dans environ la même proportion. Les analyses de corrélation montrent qu'il y a une relation posit...

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Physiological girdling of pine trees via phloem chilling: proof of concept

Cited by 67 publications

References 29 publications

Tree Girdling: A Tool to Improve Our Understanding of Coupled Sugar and Water Transport

Tree Girdling: A Tool to Improve Our Understanding of Coupled Sugar and Water Transport

The effect of stem girdling on xylem and phloem formation in Scots pine

Experimental branch cooling increases foliar sugar and anthocyanin concentrations in sugar maple at the end of the growing season

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