Maturation in larch : I. Effect of age on shoot growth, foliar characteristics, and DNA methylation

The time course of maturation in eastern larch (Larix laricina [Du Roi] K. Koch) was examined by grafting scions from trees of different ages onto 2-year-old root stock and following scion development for several years. Height, diameter, foliar chlorophyll content, and rooting ability of scion-derived cuttings all varied linearly as a function of log(10) age. Chlorophyll content (milligrams per gram of dry weight) increased while height, diameter, and ability to root decreased with age (P < 0.01). The tendency toward orthotropic growth and branch formation per centimeter of main stem decreased abruptly between age 1 and 5 years (P < 0.01). Total chlorophyll content of both long and short shoot foliage increased by 30 to 50% with increasing age, but the chlorophyll a/b ratio did not change. Also, juvenile long shoot needles were significantly longer than mature (P < 0.01). Surprisingly, the juvenile scions produced more total strobili over two successive years, but the mature scions produced a significantly higher proportion of male strobili (P < 0.001 year 1; P < 0.02 year 2). The age-related changes in foliar traits were not associated with changes in DNA methylation between juvenile and mature scions. Using HPLC, we found that 20% of foliar DNA cytosine residues were methylated in both scion types.