Comparison of Physiological Characteristics, Stomata and DNA Content between Seedling and 5-year-old Somatic Plant (Somatic Embryo Derived-plant) in Liriodendron tulipifera

Field performance of somatic plants (somatic embryo derived-plants) of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) produced from somatic embryogenesis was compared with that of seedlings at age 5. In comparison of photosynthetic rate (seedling, 10.67 μmol CO 2 ms; somatic plant, 9.04 μmol CO 2 ms), stomatal conductance rate (seedling, 0.2 H 2 Oms; somatic plant, 0.166 H 2 Oms) and respiration rate (seedling, 1.71 mmol H 2 Oms; somatic plant, 1.513 mmol H 2 Oms), no significant differences were found between plants. The seedlings were a little higher in comparison of stomatal density (seedling, 23.33/mm; somatic plant, 22.43/mm), length (seedling, 25.83 μm; somatic plant, 23.46 μm) and width (seedling, 15.87 μm; somatic plant, 15.3 μm). In comparison of DNA content of the leaves using flow cytometry, no differences in ploidy level were found between the seedlings and somatic plants.