Sugar infusion into trees: A novel method to study tree carbon relations and its regulations

Many carbon-related physiological questions in plants such as carbon (C) limitation or starvation have not yet been resolved thoroughly due to the lack of suitable experimental methodology. As a first step towards resolving these problems, we conducted infusion experiments with bonsai trees (Ficus microcarpa) and young maple trees (Acer pseudoplatanus) in greenhouse, and with adult Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) in the field, that were “fed” with (13)C-labelled glucose either through the phloem or the xylem. We then traced the (13)C-signal in plant organic matter and respiration to test whether trees can take up and metabolize exogenous sugars infused. Ten weeks after infusion started, xylem but not phloem infusion significantly increased the δ(13)C values in both aboveground and belowground tissues of the bonsai trees in the greenhouse, whereas xylem infusion significantly increased xylem δ(13)C values and phloem infusion significantly increased phloem δ(13)C values of the adult pines in the field experiment, compared to the corresponding controls. The respiration measurement experiment with young maple trees showed significantly increased δ(13)C-values in shoot respired CO(2) at the time of four weeks after xylem infusion started. Our results clearly indicate that trees do translocate and metabolize exogenous sugars infused, and because the phloem layer is too thin, and thus xylem infusion can be better operated than phloem infusion. This tree infusion method developed here opens up new avenues and has great potential to be used for research on the whole plant C balance and its regulation in response to environmental factors and extreme stress conditions.