Selection for biomass production based on respiration parameters in eucalypts: acclimation of growth and respiration to changing growth temperature

This paper examines the relation between respiratory physiology and growth rate and the effects of environment on this relation for the purpose of developing means for accelerating and improving selection of trees for biomass production. The relations among biomass production, respiratory metabolism, and growth temperature in controlled environments were determined for three Eucalyptus genotypes (clones). Eucalyptuscamaldulensis 4016, E. camaldulensis C11, and Eucalyptusgundal (Eucalyptusgunnii × Eucalyptusdalrympleana hybrid) GD1 were selected for this study because of known qualitative differences in their field growth responses to temperature. These clones were grown in controlled environments at three temperatures. Measurements were made of growth rate, metabolic heat rate, and dark CO2 production rate for plants grown at each of the three temperatures. This allowed determination of respiration rates of plants originally adapted for growth in different climates, but acclimated during growth at three d...