Seasonal sucrose metabolism in individual first-order lateral roots of nine-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) trees
Abstract
Loblolly pine seedlings have distinctive temporal and spatial patterns of sucrose metabolism and growth with stems and roots as the major sucrose sinks, respectively, from spring to mid-fall and from mid-fall to early winter. Both nursery-grown and outplanted seedlings up to the age of 3 years followed this pattern. However, there have been no reports on the seasonal or spatial patterns of sucrose metabolism pathways in older loblolly pine trees. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify the dominant sucrose metabolism in loblolly pine tree stem, taproot, and first-order lateral roots; 2) to verify the seasonal and spatial patterns of sucrose metabolism in loblolly pine trees; and 3) to deduce the importance of individual first-order lateral roots.