Different growth sensitivity to enhanced UV-B radiation between male and female Populus cathayana

We investigated sex-related morphological and physiological responses to enhanced UV-B radiation in the dioecious species Populus cathayana Rehd. Cuttings were subjected to two UV-B radiation regimes: ambient (4.5 kJ m⁻² day⁻¹) and enhanced (12.5 kJ m⁻² day⁻¹) biologically effective UV-B radiation for one growing season. Enhanced UV-B radiation was found to significantly decrease the shoot height and basal diameter and to reduce the leaf area, dry matter accumulation, net photosynthesis rate (P(n)), chlorophyll a/b ratio (Chl a/b) and anthocyanin content. Enhanced UV-B radiation also increased chlorophyll pigment, leaf nitrogen, malondialdehyde and abscisic acid (ABA) content, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities and UV-B-absorbing compounds. No significant effects of enhanced UV-B radiation were found on biomass allocation, gas exchange (except for P(n)), photochemical efficiency of photosystem II or water use efficiency. Moreover, different sensitivity to enhanced UV-B radiation between males and females was detected. Under enhanced UV-B radiation, males exhibited significantly higher basal diameter and leaf nitrogen, and lower Chl a/b, ABA content, UV-B-absorbing compounds, as well as less decrement of leaf area and dry matter accumulation than did females. However, no significant sexual differences in these traits were found under ambient UV-B radiation. Our results suggest that males may possess a greater UV-B resistance than do females, with males having a more efficient antioxidant system and higher anthocyanin content to alleviate UV-B penetration stress than females.