Sucrose metabolism and growth in transplanted loblolly pine seedlings
Abstract
Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedling height, root collar diameter, and the specific activities of three sucrose metabolizing enzymes, namely, sucrose synthase (SS), acid invertase, and neutral invertase, were measured to assess seedling responses to transplant stress. It was concluded that i) SS was the dominant enzyme for sucrose metabolism in actively growing pine stems and taproots; ii) there were decreases in seedling growth and SS activity in transplanted seedlings as compared with nontransplanted controls; and iii) SS can be used as a biochemical indicator for growth sink strength and for stress caused by transplanting.