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Comparison of physiological parameters and growth metrics in 99 unique Populus varietals across five taxa in northeastern Mississippi

Species in the genus Populus (poplars) have shown the potential to be utilized as short rotation woody crops for bioenergy production in the Southeast. A lack of knowledge on which poplar taxa perform best on marginal sites throughout the Southeast exists. Through measurement of relationships between growth metrics, water usage and physiological parameters of 2400 poplar trees, I was able to assess: 1) early rotation suitability of numerous poplar varietals to be grown as bioenergy feedstocks in northeast Mississippi, and 2) the effectiveness of early rotation physiological parameters in predicting future productivity and water usage. Overall findings from this study suggest that trees with D x M parentage may be best fit for large-scale plantation growth in the Southeast. They demonstrated low mortality and collectively grew the tallest of all taxa. Early-rotation physiology demonstrated mixed results in predicting future growth and water usage. Findings from this study will be used in future bioenergy feedstock selection.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-2114
Date07 August 2020
CreatorsPitts, Justin
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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