The importance of proleptic branch traits in biomass production of poplar in high-density plantations

Branch phenotypic traits determine tree crown architecture, which in turn governs leaf display, light interception, and biomass production. Sylleptic and proleptic branches are the obviously different branch phenotypes in the poplar crown. Many studies have focused on the influence of sylleptic branch numbers (SBN) on biomass production, but the research on the influence of proleptic branch phenotypes was only a few. To explore the relationship between proleptic branch traits and biomass generation production in a high-density poplar plantation, we investigated the branch phenotypic traits of three poplar genotypes, all of which have high survival rates in forests (> 95%) and significantly different crown architecture and biomass performance in the high-density plantations (1667 stems ha −1 ). The plantation site was established in 2007. A terrestrial laser scanner was used to measure branch characteristics such as length, angle of origin and termination, and azimuth angle. A hierarchical cluster analysis performed on branch characteristics showed that SBN, crown depth, and proleptic branch curvature (PBC) were clustered with biomass production and leaf area index (LAI). Among all of the monitored traits, PBC played the second most important role in biomass production after SBN and was significantly correlated with SBN, LAI, and biomass production. The positive correlation between PBC and SBN indicated that a larger PBC was associated with more sylleptic branches within the monitored genotypes planted in the high-density plantation, providing greater leaf area and biomass production. The results of this study will improve the identification of high-production poplar varieties for cultivation in high-density plantations for biofuel production.