Comparison of growth traits and photosynthetic physiology in Pinus tabuliformis from eight provenances of China.

To carry out a synthetic analysis between photosynthetic characteristics and growth traits, the physiological indexes of Pinus tabuliformis had been measured from 8 provenances, including Pingquan County of Hebei Province, Huzhu County of Qinghai Province, Songshan Mountain of Beijing City, Lingkongshan of Shanxi Province, Ningshan County of Shaanxi Province, Ningcheng County and Tumed County of Inner Mongolia, and Lushi County of Henan Province. The results indicated that: 1) the diurnal changes of net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and stomatal conductance (Gs) presented a double-peak curve pattern resembling the noon depression冶phenomenon, and they had different peak time for the first time; 2) the photosynthetic physiology of trees from different provenances showed a regional difference, indicating that the pines from eastern China had higher average Pn than the western relatives; 3) the growth traits and photosynthetic physiology indexes of eight provenances of P. tabuliformis were significantly different; 4) combined with variance analysis on growth traits, we founded that provenance of higher Pn was closely related to larger crown height and ground diameter; 5) photosynthetic indicators demonstrated a continuous variation of three-dimensional model which included longitude, latitude, and elevation. However, growth indicators only showed a two-dimensional model including longitude and latitude. Comprehensive comparison shows that P. tabuliformis of Beijing Songshan Mountain provenanceis more adaptable to local environment, and it has higher Pn and utilizes water more efficiently in desert environment, showing higher popularization and application value.