Physiological changes of maple (Acer palmatum Atropurpureum) leaves during the color-changing period in autumn and winter
2010
CHEN Ji-wei | SHEN Chao-dong | JIA Yu-fang | CHEN Shu | CHAI Ming-liang
In order to reveal the physiological characteristics in the changes of maple leaf color, the mature maple trees (Acer palmatum Atropurpureum) line "Liangtouhong" was taken as material. The variations of chlorophyll, anthocyanin and soluble sugar content in maple leaves were measured during the color-changing period from late October to early December. The effects of different light intensities and temperatures upon the leaf color were compared. The results indicated that the chlorophyll descended gradually at the beginning, and fell quickly after October 31. The chlorophyll content of the leaves in the shady side of the tree crown was significantly higher than that in the sunny side, and the east orientation of the sunny side was significantly higher than the west orientation. The chlorophyll a/b rose initially, and then went down. The anthocyanin content kept ascending slowly at the beginning, and then it climbed up steeply after November 21. The soluble sugar content increased rapidly before November 21, and then assumed the tendency of stability. The anthocyanin content had great negative correlation with the chlorophyll content. There was a negative correlation between temperature and anthocyanin content, or soluble sugar content. The results above provide a theoretical foundation for the landscape application of maple.
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