The hybrid Azadirachta indica × Melia azedarach is a new plant variety that was obtained through somatic hybridization. The plant could grow normally in regions with an average annual temperature of 15 °C, and it had a higher concentration of active insecticidal substance in its seeds. Therefore, the hybrid will likely become a valuable new tree species in subtropical and warm temperate regions. However, the photosynthetic physiological characteristics of A. indica × M. azedarach remain unknown. The photosynthetic gas exchange of the hybrid at three different ages (one year old (AM1), three years old (AM3), and five years old (AM5)) were measured. The specific leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf N, leaf P, and leaf N/P of each tree sample were measured, and the photosynthetic N and P use efficiencies (PNUE and PPUE, respectively) were also calculated. The maximum leaf net photosynthetic rate Pa (based on area), Pm (based on mass), light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) of A. indica × M. azedarach decreased with increasing tree age, whereas the instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE) increased with age. The photosynthetic capacity showed no significant differences between AM3 and AM5 but was significantly higher in AM3 and AM5 when compared with AM1.The Pa, Pm, apparent quantum yield (AQY), LSP, gs, and Tr of A. indica × M. azedarach were significantly lower than that of the parental M. azedarach, whereas the dark respiration rate (Rd) and WUE were significantly higher than that of M. azedarach. A reduction in the maximal photosynthetic rate of A. indica × M. azedarach that was observed with increased age was primarily related to the increased LMA and the decline in leaf nitrogen (N) and leaf phosphorus (P) concentrations. Additionally, the decline in stomatal conductance (gs) was also an important factor leading to age-dependent reductions in the photosynthetic rate. These findings suggest that the tree’s age has a significant impact on A. indica × M. azedarach gas exchange during juvenile stages, and the photosynthetic capacity of the hybrid was significantly lower than that of the parental M. azedarach.
Keywords
, , , , ,
Citation
Cheng X, He Z, Yu M, Yin Z (2014). Gas exchange characteristics of the hybrid Azadirachta indica × Melia azedarach. iForest 8: 431-437. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1127-007
Academic Editor
Francesco Ripullone
Paper history
Received: Sep 17, 2013
Accepted: Aug 18, 2014
First online: Dec 17, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 02, 2015
Publication Time: 4.03 months
© SISEF - The Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology 2014
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Breakdown by View Type
(Waiting for server response...)
Article Usage
Total Article Views: 24086
(from publication date up to now)
Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 18742
Abstract Page Views: 1273
PDF Downloads: 2963
Citation/Reference Downloads: 19
XML Downloads: 1089
Web Metrics
Days since publication: 3585
Overall contacts: 24086
Avg. contacts per week: 47.03
Article Citations
Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Nov 2020)
Total number of cites (since 2015): 1
Average cites per year: 0.17
Publication Metrics
by Dimensions ©
Articles citing this article
List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.
(1)
Abdul-Hamid H, Mencuccini M (2009)Age- and size-related changes in physiological characteristics and chemical composition of
Acer pseudoplatanus and
Fraxinus excelsior trees. Tree Physiology 29: 27-38.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(2)
Ambrose AR, Sillett SC, Dawson TE (2009)Effects of tree height on branch hydraulics, leaf structure and gas exchange in California redwoods. Plant, Cell and Environment 32: 743-757.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(3)
Bassman JH, Zwier JC (1991)Gas exchange characteristics of
Populus trichocarpa,
Populus deltoides and
Populus trichocarpa × P. deltoides clones. Tree Physiology 8: 145-159.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(4)
Bond BJ (2000)Age-related changes in photosynthesis of woody plants. Trends in Plant Science 5 (8): 349-353.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(5)
Cheng SR, Gu WC (2005)The phenological division of distribution area in China for
Melia azedarach. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 41 (3): 186-191. [In Chinese with English abstract]
Gscholar
(6)
Drake JE, Raetz LM, Davis SC, De Lucia EH (2010)Hydraulic limitation not declining nitrogen availability causes the age-related photosynthetic decline in loblolly pine (
Pinus taeda L. ). Plant, Cell and Environment 33: 1756-1766.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(7)
England JR, Attiwill PM (2006)Changes in leaf morphology and anatomy with tree age and height in the broadleaved evergreen species,
Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell. Trees 20: 79-90.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(8)
Gower ST, McMurtrie RE, Murty D (1996)Aboveground net primary production decline with stand age: potential causes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 11: 378-382.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(9)
Greenwood MS, O’Brien CL, Schatz JD, Diggins CA, Day ME, Jacobson GL, White AS, Wagner RG (2008)Is early life cycle success a determinant of the abundance of red spruce and balsam fir? Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38: 2295-2305.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(10)
Hanba YT, Miyazawa SI, Terashima I (1999)The influence of leaf thickness on the CO
2 transfer conductance and leaf stable carbon isotope ratio for some evergreen tree species in Japanese warm-temperate forests. Functional Ecology 13: 632-639.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(11)
Hegde NG (1995)Neem and small farmers constraints at grass root level. Indian Forester 121: 1040-1048.
Gscholar
(12)
Hidaka A, Kitayama K (2009)Divergent patterns of photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency versus nitrogen-use efficiency of tree leaves along nutrient-availability gradients. Journal of Ecology 97: 984-991.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(13)
Hieke S, Menzel CM, Lüdders P (2002)Effects of light availability on leaf gas exchange and expansion in lychee (
Litchi chinensis). Tree Physiology 22: 1249-1256.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(14)
Hubbard RM, Bond BJ, Ryan MG (1999)Evidence that hydraulic conductance limits photosynthesis in old
Pinus ponderosa trees. Tree Physiology 19: 165-172.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(15)
Juárez-López FJ, Escudero A, Mediavilla S (2008)Ontogenetic changes in stomatal and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis of two co-occurring Mediterranean oaks differing in leaf life span. Tree Physiology 28: 367-374.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(16)
Kenzo T, Ichie T, Watanabe Y, Yoneda R, Ninomiya I, Koike T (2006)Changes in photosynthesis and leaf characteristics with tree height in five dipterocarp species in a tropical rain forest. Tree Physiology 26: 865-873.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(17)
Koch GW, Sillett SC, Jennings GM, Davis SD (2004)The limits to tree height. Nature 428: 851-854.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(18)
Kundu SK, Tigerstedt MA (1998)Variation in net photosynthesis, stomatal characteristics, leaf area and whole-plant phytomass production among ten provenances of neem (
Azadirachta indica). Tree Physiology 19: 47-52.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(19)
Ludwig F, Rosenthal DM, Johnston JA, Kane NC, Gross BL, Lexer C, Dudley SA, Rieseberg LH, Donovan LA (2004)Selection on leaf ecophysiological traits in a desert hybrid
Helianthus species and early-generation hybrids. Evolution 58: 2682-2692.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(20)
Merilo E, Tulva I, Räim O, Kükit A, Sellin A, Kull O (2009)Changes in needle nitrogen partitioning and photosynthesis during 80 years of tree ontogeny in
Picea abies. Trees 23: 951-958.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(21)
Murphy J, Riley JP (1962)A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta 27: 31-36.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(22)
Nabeshima E, Hiura T (2004)Size dependency of photosynthetic water- and nitrogen-use efficiency and hydraulic limitation in
Acer mono. Tree Physiology 24: 745-752.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(23)
Nabeshima E, Hiura T (2008)Size-dependency in hydraulic and photosynthetic properties of three
Acer species having different maximum sizes. Ecological Research 23: 281-288.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(24)
Niinemets U (2002)Stomatal conductance alone does not explain the decline in foliar photosynthetic rates with increasing tree age and size in
Picea abies and
Pinus sylvestris. Tree Physiology 22: 515-535.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(25)
Niinemets U, Díaz-Espejo A, Flexas J, Galmés J, Warren CR (2009)Role of mesophyll diffusion conductance in constraining potential photosynthetic productivity in the field. Journal of Experimental Botany 60: 2249-2270.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(26)
Ogbuewu IP, Odoemenam VU, Obikaonu HO, Opara MN, Emenalom OO, Uchegbu MC, Okoli IC, Esonu BO, Iloeje MU (2011)The growing importance of neem (
Azadirachta indices A. Juss) in agriculture, industry, medicine and environment: a review. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research 5 (3): 230-245.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(27)
Onoda Y, Hikosaka K, Hirose T (2004)Allocation of nitrogen to cell walls decreases photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency. Functional Ecology 18: 419-425.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(28)
Orlovic S, Guzina V, Krstic B, Merkulov L (1998)Genetic variability in anatomical, physiological and growth characteristics of hybrid poplar (
Populus x euramericana Dode (Guinier)) and eastern cottonwood (
Populus deltoides Bartr.) clones. Silvae Genetica 47 (4): 183-190.
Online |
Gscholar
(29)
Parkhurst DF (1994)Diffusion of CO
2 and other gases inside leaves. New Phytologist 126: 449-479.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(30)
Reich PB, Ellsworth DS, Walters MB (1998)Leaf structure (specific leaf area) modulates photosynthesis-nitrogen relations: Evidence from within and across species and functional groups. Functional Ecology 12: 948-958.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(31)
Reinhardt K, Johnson DM, Smith WK (2009)Age-class differences in shoot photosynthesis and water relations of Fraser fir (
Abies fraseri), southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39: 193-197.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(32)
Ryan MG, Yoder BJ (1997)Hydraulic limits to tree height and tree growth. What keeps trees from growing beyond a certain height? BioScience 47: 235-242.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(33)
Silim SN, Guy RD, Patterson TB, Livingston NJ (2001)Plasticity in water-use efficiency of
Picea sitchensis,
P. glauca and their natural hybrids. Oecologia 128: 317-325.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(34)
Steppe K, Niinemets U, Teskey RO (2011)Tree size- and age-related changes in leaf physiology and their influence on carbon gain. In: “Size- and age-related changes in tree structure and function” (Meinzer FC, Dawson T, Lachenbruch B eds). Springer, Berlin, Germany, pp. 235-253.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(35)
Takashima T, Hikosaka K, Hirose T (2004)Photosynthesis or persistence: nitrogen allocation in leaves of evergreen and deciduous
Quercus species. Plant, Cell and Environment 27: 1047-1054.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(36)
Thomas SC (2010)Photosynthetic capacity peaks at intermediate size in temperate deciduous trees. Tree Physiology 30: 555-573.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(37)
Thorton FC, Joslin JD, Pier PA, Neufeld H, Seiler JR, Hutcherson JD (1994)Cloud water and ozone effects upon high elevation red spruce: a summary of study results from White top Mountain, Virginia. Journal of Environmental Quality 23: 1158-1167.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(38)
Woodruff DR, Meinzer FC, Lachenbruch B, Johnson DM (2009)Coordination of leaf structure and gas exchange along a height gradient in a tall conifer. Tree Physiology 29: 261-272.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(39)
Wright IJ, Reich PB, Westoby M, Ackerly DD, Baruch Z, Bongers F, et al. (2004)The world-wide leaf economics spectrum. Nature 428: 821-827.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(40)
Wright IJ, Reich PB, Cornelissen JHC, Falster DS, Garnier E, Hikosaka K, Lamont BB, Lee W, Oleksyn J, Osada N, Poorter H, Villar R, Warton DI, Westoby M (2005)Assessing the generality of global leaf traits relationships. New Phytologist 166: 485-496.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(41)
Wu CA, Campbell DR (2007)Leaf physiology reflects environmental differences and cytoplasmic background in
Ipomopsis (Polemoniaceae) hybrids. American Journal of Botany 94: 1804-1812.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(42)
Zhang XQ, Xu DY (2000)Seasonal changes and daily courses of photosynthetic characteristics of 18-year-old Chinese Fir shoots in relation to shoot ages and positions within tree crown. Scientia Silvae Sinicae 36 (3): 19-26. [In Chinese with English abstract]
Gscholar
(43)
Zheng YX, Wu JC, Cao FL, Zhang YP (2010)Effects of water stress on photosynthetic activity, dry mass partitioning and some associated metabolic changes in four provenances of neem (
Azadirachta indica A. Juss). Photosynthetica 48 (3): 361-369.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(44)
Zheng YX, Peng XM, Wu JC, Zhang YP (2011)Light response characteristics of
Azadirachta indica provenances in different growing seasons within crowns. Forest Research 24 (2): 176-183. [In Chinese with English abstract]
Gscholar