Dynamic changes of phenolic compound contents in leaf and bark of poplar during autumn temperature drop

We investigated seasonal dynamics of phenolics substance in leaf and bark of two cultivars of poplar, Populus alba×berolinensis and P. בZhonglin Sanbei 1’, during autumn temperature drop for analyzing the roles of phenolic secondary metabolites in cold resistance. Results show that the contents of condensed tannin and flavonoid in poplar leaf and the flavonoid contents in bark of P. בZhonglin Sanbei 1’ were increased with the decrease of autumn minimum temperature, showing a significantly negative correlation between the contents of soluble phenolic substance in the leaves and changeable temperature. In contrast, lignin content in the poplar leaves is decreased in the process of temperature drop, showing a significantly positive correlation. These results indicate that the variation in phenolic substance has a close correlation with its cold-resistance during the autumn temperature drop.