Weihua Liao

The physical and chemical properties of poplar clones largely determine their suitability for different applications. The main objective of this study was to investigate clonal variation in four hybrid poplar clones grown at three sites in North China and identify the superior clone. Study materials were collected from four clones of hybrid white poplar: Populus tomentosa “LM50”, used as the control; two clones (Yiyang-1 and Yiyang-2), new hybrids of (P. tomentosa × P. bolleana) × P. tomentosa “Truncata”; and Yiyang-3, a new hybrid of (P. tomentosa × P. bolleana) × P. tomentosa “LM50”. In total, 192 individuals from four hybrid clones were randomly chosen for sampling. The growth traits of four 7-year-old clones were examined at three sites. We also measured the wood properties of four 6-year-old clones at the Fengfeng nursery. Variation in the growth traits and the ranking of stem volumes differed among sites. Fiber traits and wood chemical components showed significant interclonal variation. With regard to the comprehensive growth rate, cellulose content, holocellulose content, and fiber traits, Yiyang-1 exhibited the best performance among the four hybrid poplar clones, indicating its utility as a raw material for pulp and papermaking.

Poplar seed hair is an environmental annoyance in northern China due to its abundance and widespread airborne distribution after maturation. The morphogenesis and molecular mechanisms of its development are not well understood, and little attention has been focused on the dynamics of its development. To better understand the mechanism of poplar seed hair development, paraffin sections were used to examine the initiation and elongation of poplar seed hairs. RNA-seq technology was also employed to provide a comprehensive overview of transcriptional changes that occur during seed hair development. The placenta at the base of ovary, was identified as the origin of seed hair development, which is in sharp contrast to cotton fibers that originate from epidermal cells of the seed coat. An enlarged cell nucleus in seed hair cells was also observed, which was supported by our gene ontology enrichment analysis. The significant enriched GO term of “endoreduplication” indicated that cycles of endoreduplication, bypassing normal mitosis, is the underlying mechanisms for the maintenance of the uni-cellular structure of seed hairs. By analyzing global changes in the transcriptome, many genes regulating cell cycle, cell elongation, cell well modification were identified. Additionally, in an analysis of differential expression, cellulose synthesis and cell wall biosynthesis-related biological processes were enriched, indicating that this component of fiber structure in poplar seed hairs is consistent with what is found in cotton fibers. Differentially expressed transcription factors exhibited a stage-specific up-regulation. A dramatic down-regulation was also revealed during the mid-to-late stage of poplar seed hair development, which may point to novel mechanisms regulating cell fate determination and cell elongation. This study revealed the initiation site of poplar seed hairs and also provided a comprehensive overview of transcriptome dynamics during the process of seed hair development. The high level of resolution on dynamic changes in the transcriptome provided in this study may serve as a valuable resource for developing a more complete understanding of this important biological process.