Importance of oxygen-containing functionalities and pore structures of biochar in catalyzing pyrolysis of homologous poplar

Biochar and bio-oil are produced simultaneously in one pyrolysis process,and they inevitably contact and may interact,influencing the composition of bio-oil and modifying the structure of biochar.In this sense,biochar is an inherent catalyst for pyrolysis.In this study,in order to investigate the influence of functionalities and pore structures of biochar on its capability for catalyzing the conversion of homologous volatiles in bio-oil,three char catalysts(600C,800C,and 800AC)produced via pyrolysis of poplar wood at 600 or 800℃or activated at 800℃,were used for catalyzing pyrolysis of homologous poplar wood at 600℃,respectively.The results indicated that the 600C catalyst was more active than 800C and 800AC for catalyzing cracking of volatiles to form more gas(yield increase by 40.2%)and aromatization of volatiles to form more light or heavy phenolics,due to its abundant oxygen-containing functionalities acting as active sites.The developed pores of the 800AC showed no such catalytic effect but could trap some volatiles and allow their further conversion via sufficient aromatization.Nevertheless,the interaction with the volatiles consumed oxygen on 600C(decrease by 50%),enhancing the aromatic degree and increasing thermal stability.The dominance of deposition of carbonaceous material of a very aromatic nature over 800C and 800AC resulted in net weight gain and blocked micropores but formed additional macropores.The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy characterization of the catalytic pyrolysis indicated superior activity of 600C for removal of -OH,while conversion of the intermediates bearing C=O was enhanced over all the char catalysts.

Factors affecting poplar wetwood characteristics

Wet wood is an abnormal phenomenon in growing trees,which adversely affects growth,subsequent wood processing and economic values of wood products.In this study,the influences of factors such as clones,afforestation methods,site conditions and climate conditions on the characteristics of poplar wetwood were studied through field investigations in 27 clones from 48 sample plots in 28 counties.Results showed that the incidences of wetwood were almost 100%in all plots.Ratios of wetwood area among the48 plots differed from 15.1 to 90.2%.Wetwood area ratios,moisture contents and pH differed significantly between the 27 clones.Wetwood area ratios of the clones ranged from18.7 to 62.3%.Ratios of wetwood areas were positively correlated with wet wood moisture content and pH,tree age,and negatively correlated with pH of sap wood.The repeatability of wet wood area ratios was 0.52,moderately controlled by genetics.Wetwood moisture content and pH were highly controlled by genetics,indicated by the repeatability of 0.91 and 0.89,respectively.There were significant differences in wetwood area ratios,moisture content and pH between different site conditions,afforestation methods,and geographical regions.Sloping land had the lowest wetwood area ratios and moisture content among four types of sites.Afforestation by direct seeding and rooted cuttings had the lowest wetwood area ratios and moisture content,respectively.In the three geographical regions,the Yellow River Basin had the lowest wetwood values of all three factors.

PtrDJ1C,an atypical member of the DJ-1 superfamily,is essential for early chloroplast development and lignin deposition in poplar

The nuclear-encoded factors and the photosynthetic apparatus have been studied extensively during chloroplast biogenesis.However,many questions regarding these processes remain unanswered,particularly in perennial woody plants.As a model material of woody plants,poplar not only has very significant value of research,but also possesses economic and ecological properties.This study reports the Populus trichocarpa DJ-1C(PtrDJ1C)factor,encoded by a nuclear gene,and a member of the DJ-1 superfamily.PtrDJ1C knock-out with the CRISPR/Cas9 system resulted in different albino phenotypes.Chlorophyll fluorescence and immunoblot analyses showed that the levels of photosynthetic complex proteins decreased significantly.Moreover,the transcript level of plastid-encoded RNA polymerase-dependent genes and the splicing efficiency of several introns were affected in the mutant line.Furthermore,rRNA accumulation was abnormal,leading to developmental defects in chloroplasts and affecting lignin accumulation.We concluded that the PtrDJ1C protein is essential for early chloroplast development and lignin deposition in poplar.

Selecting the Technology of Sodium Silicate Modified Poplar with the Highest Performance by Fuzzy Orthogonal Method

Sodium silicate modification can improve the overall performance of wood.The modification process has a great influence on the properties of modified wood.In this study,a new method was introduced to analyze the wood modification process,and the properties of modified wood were studied.Poplar wood was modified with sodium silicate by vacuum-pressure impregnation.After screening using single-factor experiments,an orthogonal experiment was carried out with solution concentration,impregnation time,impregnation pressure,and the cycle times as experimental factors.The modified poplar with the best properties was selected by fuzzy mathematics and characterized by SEM,FT-IR,XRD and TG.The results showed that some lignin and hemicellulose were removed from the wood due to the alkaline action of sodium silicate,and the orderly crystal area of poplar became disorderly,resulting in the reduction of crystallinity of the modified poplar wood.FT-IR analysis showed that sodium silicate was hydrolyzed to form polysilicic acid in wood,and structural analysis revealed the formation of Si-O-Si and Si-O-C,indicating that sodium silicate reacted with fibers on the wood cell wall.TG-DTG curves showed that the final residual mass of modified poplar wood increased from 25%to 67%,and the temperature of the maximum loss rate decreased from 343℃ to 276℃.The heat release and smoke release of modified poplar wood decreased obviously.This kind of material with high strength and fire resistance can be used in the outdoor building and indoor furniture.

Function identification of miR159a,a positive regulator during poplar resistance to drought stress

Drought seriously affects the growth and development of plants.MiR159 is a highly conserved and abundant microRNA family that plays a crucial role in plant growth and stress responses.However,studies of its function in woody plants are still lacking.Here,the expression of miR159a was significantly upregulated after drought treatment in poplar,and the overexpression of miR159a(OX159a)significantly reduced the open area of the stomata and improved water-use efficiency in poplar.After drought treatment,OX159a lines had better scavenging ability of reactive oxygen species and damage of the membrane system was less than that in wild-type lines.MYB was the target gene of miR159a,as verified by psRNATarget prediction,RT-qPCR,degradome sequencing,and 5′rapid amplification of cDNA ends(5′RACE).Additionally,miR159a-short tandem target mimic suppression(STTM)poplar lines showed increased sensitivity to drought stress.Transcriptomic analysis comparing OX159a lines with wild-type lines revealed upregulation of a series of genes related to response to water deprivation and metabolite synthesis.Moreover,drought-responsive miR172d and miR398 were significantly upregulated and downregulated respectively in OX159a lines.This investigation demonstrated that miR159a played a key role in the tolerance of poplar to drought by reducing stomata open area,increasing the number and total area of xylem vessels,and enhancing water-use efficiency,and provided new insights into the role of plant miR159a and crucial candidate genes for the molecular breeding of trees with tolerance to drought stress.

Experimental Study of Mode-I and Mode-II Interlaminar Fracture Characteristics of Poplar LVL

Fracture is a common failure form of poplar laminated veneer lumber(LVL).In the present work,we performed an experimental study on the mode-I along-grain interlaminar fracture,mode-I cross-grain interlaminar fracture,and mode-II interlaminar fracture of poplar LVL.We investigated stress mechanisms,failure modes,and fracture toughness values of the different fracture types.The experimental results revealed that the crack in the mode-I along-grain interlaminar fracture specimen propagated along the prefabricated crack direction,and the crack tip broke.The mode-I cross-grain interlaminar fracture specimen had cracks in the vertical direction near the prefabricated crack.In the mode-II interlaminar fracture specimen,cracks appeared along the initial prefabricated crack direction.The load–displacement curves of these three specimens were linear in the early stage of loading.With the increase in the load,a nonlinear segment appeared before crack propagation and a descending segment appeared after crack propagation.The nonlinear segments of the mode-I along-grain interlaminar fracture and mode-II interlaminar fracture were very short,and cracks expanded quickly after their initiation,resulting in brit-tle fracture.The nonlinear segment of the mode-I cross-grain interlaminar fracture was long,resulting in plastic failure.The average toughness values of the mode-I along-grain interlaminar fracture,mode-I cross-grain inter-laminar fracture,and mode-II interlaminar fracture were 15.43,270.15,and 39.72 MPa·mm^(1/2),respectively.

Evaluation of Water Transfer Capacity of Poplar with Pectinase Treated under the Solar Interface Evaporation

Poplar wood,which was used as the absorption material for the solar-driven interfacial evaporation,was treated for 3 days,6 days and 9 days with the pectinase,and then was simulated for photothermal evaporation test at one standard solar radiation intensity(1 kW⋅m^(−2)).The effects of pectinase treatment on cell passage and water migration capacity of poplars were analyzed by the mercury intrusion porosimetry,the scanning electron microscope and fractal theory.It was found that the pit membrane and the ray parenchyma cells of poplar wood were degraded and destroyed after pectinase treatment.Compared with the untreated poplar wood,the evaporation rate of three sections of the specimen was changed.Especially the evaporation rate of radial and tangential direction was significantly increased.At the same time,based on the experimental data and fractal dimension deduction,fractal characteristics could be found in that the structure of poplars treated with pectinase.The porosity decreased with the increase of the fractal dimension in a certain range.It was shown that it is feasible to evaluate solar-driven water migration capacity by using fractal theory.

菌丝体-杨木颗粒多孔复合材料的制备及保温阻燃性能研究

石油基高分子多孔材料的大量使用导致了严重的塑料污染(“白色污染”)。在这项工作中,采用了一种绿色可持续的合成策略,通过在杨木颗粒上接种培养真菌菌丝体,使其生长贯穿整个颗粒,最终制备出了一种菌丝体-杨木颗粒多孔复合材料。结果表明,多孔复合材料具有较低的密度(0.165 g·cm^(-3))、较高的孔隙率(82.7%)和疏水性(接触角:131.8°),并展示出优异的力学性能(压缩强度2.39 MPa;杨氏模量9.79 MPa)。另外,多孔复合材料还具有较低的导热系数(0.066 W/mK)和优异的阻燃性能(氧指数为28.4%)。这项研究工作展示了一种简捷和清洁环保的菌丝体-杨木颗粒多孔复合材料制备方法,对农林生物质高值化利用具有重要的参考价值。

杨树无性系表型性状及ISSR分子标记遗传多样性分析

【目的】综合表型性状及分子标记多样性分析探明供试的62个杨树无性系的遗传多样性,为杨树进一步遗传改良奠定基础。【方法】选取地径、苗高、叶面积、叶长、叶宽、叶柄长、叶绿素、侧枝数、叶厚、单株总叶片、叶片干质量、叶片含水率等12个表型性状和ISSR分子标记对杨树无性系个体间进行遗传多样性分析,利用PopGen 32、SPSS 16.0及NTsys 2.10e等软件分别计算多样性指数、进行表型性状间的方差分析以及对各无性系进行UPGMA法聚类分析。【结果】侧枝数、单株叶片数、叶片干质量、叶面积以及地径的变异系数均达到了10%以上,叶柄长、叶长、苗高的变异系数也达到了8%以上的水平。利用5条ISSR引物检测到62份杨树无性系多态性谱带百分率平均为89.04%,基因多样度平均为0.4074,Shannon多样性指数(I)平均为0.5304。采用UPGMA法构建的形态和分子标记聚类图将供试材料聚成的类群均有家系内聚为一类的趋势,但也存在较大的差异;表型性状聚类分析主要是根据叶片的相关性状相似度越高的被聚为一个类群;分子标记聚类主要呈现出亲缘关系越近的无性系越容易聚为一个类群的聚类规律。【结论】供试的杨树无性系间表型性状分化程度高,具有丰富的遗传多样性,研究结果为杨树种质资源的改良、种质创新及多元化开发利用提供科学依据。

自然干旱后不同系号杨树湿心材的特征

以2017年造林材料为对象,比较不同系号杨树湿心材在大旱前和大旱后的变化差异。结果表明:干旱前和干旱后所有系号杨树的湿心材长度比例均呈显著正态分布。所有系号均存在湿心材现象,且整体上湿心材比较严重。杨树径生长由于干旱受到了严重抑制,但随着直径的增加及干旱的影响,湿心材长度比例继续增大,木芯含水率略有下降,干旱会减轻湿心材的危害。不同材料湿心材的pH差异不显著,均为弱碱性,江汉平原主栽的4个品种插干造林生长速度有一定优势,但湿心材相比带根造林更为严重一些。对连续2 a的湿心材特征进行相关分析,发现湿心材主要特征之间存在极显著正相关。

基于AE-BP模型的杨木胶合板应力损伤识别

【目的】利用声发射(AE)技术对应力损伤全过程中的杨木胶合板进行无损检测,并利用BP神经网络对AE检测结果进行识别,以提高胶合板损伤检测精度。【方法】以市场占有量较高的托盘用杨木胶合板作为研究对象,在联合AE和应力损伤试验过程中,提取6个AE特征参数,利用声发射RA-AF联合分析法区分杨木胶合板产生裂纹的类型,采用K-均值聚类分析方法确定损伤演化程度和AE特征参数之间的对应关系,利用BP神经网络建立损伤识别模型,并对识别网络进行测试训练。【结果】AE信号幅度和上升时间可有效地表征杨木胶合板应力损伤从微裂纹萌生、产生宏观裂纹至完全断裂的损伤演化过程;通过RA-AF联合分析发现:杨木胶合板在应力损伤试验第一阶段主要为剪切破坏损伤,第二、三阶段主要为拉伸破坏损伤;通过K-均值聚类分析发现损伤类型与AE峰值频率之间的存在较强对应关系,可有效的表征不同的损伤类型:在31 kHz内为基体开裂,在31~100 kHz内为脱胶分层,大于100 kHz为纤维断裂;构建AE-BP神经网络模型对应力损伤类型训练样本的拟合优度是95.94%,测试集的拟合优度是98.89%,模型总拟合优度是96.51%,网络训练效果较好。【结论】在应力承载AE监测过程中,通过构建AE-BP模型,可对杨木胶合板产生的未知损伤进行有效检测并准确识别。

水淹胁迫对美洲黑杨嫁接苗叶片色素及光合特性的影响

以‘全红杨’‘中红杨’和‘2025杨'3个品种嫁接苗为试验材料,采用随机区组设计,盆栽模拟水淹环境,以正常浇水条件为对照,研究不同胁迫处理时间下,3个杨树品种的叶片色素含量、光合特性的响应变化及各指标间的相关性。结果表明:水淹胁迫期间,3个杨树品种叶片色素含量及气孔导度(G_(s))、净光合速率(P_(n))、蒸腾速率(T_(r))和胞间CO_(2)浓度(C_(i))均极显著下降。胁迫后期,叶绿素a含量下降幅度大于叶绿素b,同时叶片C_(i)升高,羧化效率(CE)下降,C_(i)与P_(n)的相关性由正变为负,三者P_(n)的再次下降主要是由非气孔限制所致。对P_(n)的相关性分析表明,花色素苷含量与‘全红杨’叶片P_(n)呈正相关,而‘2025杨’花色素苷含量与P_(n)呈负相关。水淹胁迫70d,3个杨树品种叶片P_(n)均始终为正值,水分利用效率(WUE)大幅提高,表现出稳定的耐涝遗传特质,其中‘全红杨'耐水淹能力相对较弱。

杨叶枯病病原菌生物学特性、防治药剂筛选及杨树抗病性评价

为防治杨树叶枯病,利用单因素试验,对中荷64杨(P.×euramericana cv.‘N3016’)上分离获得的链格孢菌(Alternaria alternata)进行了生物学特性及室内防治药剂筛选研究,并开展了不同品种杨树抗叶枯病综合评价。结果表明:链格孢菌菌丝生长的适宜培养基为马铃薯蔗糖琼脂培养基,适宜碳源为玉米粉,适宜氮源为酵母提取物,适宜培养温度范围为25~30℃,适宜pH为8,光照条件对菌丝生长影响不大,致死温度为52℃。采用生长速率法进行室内防治药剂筛选,结果显示,选用的5种生物制剂防治效果优于2种化学药剂,各药剂抑制作用排序从大到小依次为哈茨木霉(3亿菌落/g)、枯草芽孢杆菌(100亿芽孢/g)、质量分数为10%的多抗霉素、质量分数为3%的中生菌素、质量分数为2%的宁南霉素、质量分数为50%的多菌灵、质量分数为75%的百菌清,将哈茨木霉(3亿菌落/g)和枯草芽孢杆菌(100亿芽孢/g)作为防治链格孢菌的适宜药剂。选用7个黑杨派品种杨树,利用模糊数学隶属度函数法,开展了杨树抗叶枯病综合评价,确定中荷64杨为高感品种,中辽1号杨和欧美杨177为中感品种,渤丰1号杨、渤丰3号杨、辽育3号杨和欧美杨111为高抗品种。

杨木旧材高温作用后力学性能试验研究

依托新疆玉儿滚军垦旧址保护项目,采用火灾后未过火原木制作杨木旧材的标准无疵小试样,考虑温度、恒温时间两种因素高温处理试样并进行抗拉、抗压力学性能试验,探究木材顺纹和横纹方向上的主要力学性能演化规律。在试验基础上,建立了顺纹杨木旧材抗压本构模型。试验结果表明:高温处理后,顺纹木材抗压强度整体下降幅度为15%~30%,横纹木材抗压强度整体下降幅度为20%~50%;顺纹木材和横纹木材的抗拉强度均显著下降,为25%~62%。建立的本构模型曲线与试验结果相比,误差在10%以内,可适用于相应木材力学性能分析。

高温预处理对杨木正交胶合木剪力墙抗侧力性能的影响

[目的]研究往复荷载作用时国产速生杨木正交胶合木(CLT)剪力墙的抗侧力性能,阐明木材高温预处理和加速老化对剪力墙抗侧力性能的影响,为高温改性技术和国产速生木材在建筑结构中的高效利用提供参考。[方法]以木结构建筑常用的进口欧洲云杉规格材为对照,以相同强度等级的国产速生杨木为研究对象,选用180℃为预处理温度对杨木进行高温改性,制备5面全尺寸正交胶合木剪力墙,开展往复荷载作用时加速老化前后正交胶合木剪力墙的抗侧力性能试验。[结果]与相同层板强度等级的欧洲云杉正交胶合木剪力墙相比,往复荷载作用时未处理杨木正交胶合木剪力墙的极限承载力、弹性抗侧刚度、耗能能力分别降低5.8%、12.9%、8.0%;木材经高温预处理、墙体经加速老化或二者联合处理后,杨木正交胶合木剪力墙的抗侧力性能指标不同程度降低;与未处理杨木正交胶合木墙体相比,加速老化处理后,墙体的极限承载力、弹性抗侧刚度、耗能能力分别降低9.4%、9.7%、11.2%;木材经高温预处理后,经加速老化,墙体的极限承载力、弹性抗侧刚度、耗能能力变化较小,分别降低2.9%、2.4%、5.0%。[结论]往复荷载作用时,国产速生杨木正交胶合木剪力墙的抗侧力性能略低于相同层板强度等级的欧洲云杉正交胶合木剪力墙,水平力作用时二者具有相似破坏模式,均为抗拔连接件节点处钉子被剪断;木材经高温预处理、墙体经加速老化或二者联合处理后,杨木正交胶合木剪力墙的破坏模式均为底部墙角抗拔连接件处木材被拉断或劈裂破坏;木材高温预处理能够有效降低加速老化对剪力墙抗侧力性能的影响,具有相对较好的抗老化能力;建立正交胶合木剪力墙极限承载力计算模型,理论值与试验值误差小于10%。

7个杨树品种苗期叶片解剖结构和叶绿素荧光特性研究

本研究旨在筛选具有高抗逆性和强适应性的杨树优良品种。通过系统研究7个杨树品种的苗期表观生长性状、叶片解剖结构和叶绿素荧光生理特征,并采用单因素方差分析方法比较各品种间指标的差异,同时运用主成分分析法对苗期的生态适应性进行综合评价。结果表明显示,(1)各杨树品种苗期生长表现、叶绿素含量和叶绿素荧光参数之间存在显著差异,叶片解剖结构中的下层栅栏厚度、上表皮厚度及上表皮相对厚度有显著差异。其中‘湘林75’和‘巨霸杨’叶绿素含量较高,Y(Ⅱ)、ETR、qP等叶绿素荧光参数也较高,光合能力较强;‘江淮1号杨’叶片较厚,下层栅栏组织发达,抗旱性较强。(2)叶片解剖结构与叶绿素荧光参数间存在相关关系,中脉厚度与ETR、Y(Ⅱ)均显著负相关,栅栏组织、CTR与Fv/Fm显著正相关。叶绿素含量与叶绿素荧光参数间存在相关关系,但未达显著水平。(3)7个杨树品种苗期生态适应性由强到弱为‘湘林75’>‘巨霸杨’>‘湘林90’>‘湘林80’>‘江淮1号杨’>‘2025杨’>‘皖林1号杨’(CK)。

沿江典型区域杨树大径材人工林复合经营技术研究

本文对杨树大径材培育周期内的5个典型复合经营模式生长和经济效益进行分析,选择出适宜长江沿江典型区域种植的杨树大径材复合经营模式。结果表明:参试林农复合经营模式下杨树的胸径、树高、单位面积蓄积量分别比纯林增加15.31%(YM)~20.92%(YYD)、9.52%(YM)~11.31%(YY)、45.66%(YM)~61.38%(YYD)。采用间作模式的6年生杨树复合经营总收益均大于杨树纯林,杨树间作模式的总产值为杨树纯林的2.78(YM)~4.47倍(YYD)。采用多作物间作模式总收益及总产值明显高于单作物间作模式。其中套种6年杨树-油菜-黄豆(YYD)模式累计总收益(11 905元/667m^(2))最高,杨树-小麦-黄豆(YMD)累计总收益(11 599元/667m^(2))次之。5个模式下6年生杨树木材收益由高到低依次为:YYD(7 244元/667m^(2))>YMD(7 197元/667m^(2))>YY(7 106.5元/667m^(2))>YM(6 539.6元/667m^(2))>YC(4 408.48元/667 m^(2))。杨树-油菜-黄豆(YYD)是促进大径材杨树生长、材积和经济效益最高的优选模式。此研究旨在为长江沿江典型区域杨树的大径材培育和复合经营策略提供参考。

Studies of Transgenic Hybrid Poplar 741 Carrying Two Insect-resistant Genes

Partially modified Bt Cry1Ac gene and the arrowhead proteinase inhibitor (API) gene were used to construct a plant transformation vector pBtiA and this construct was transferred into the genome of the hybrid poplar 741 [ Populus alba L.×( P. davidiana Dode+ P. simonii Carr.)× P. tomentosa Carr.] by Agrobacterium _ mediated transformation. Ten kanamycin resistant plants have been regenerated. Upon insect bioassay using Clostera anachoreta (Fabricius), three of the examined plants were demonstrated to be highly resistant to the testing insects. The mortality of insect larvae on one plant was higher than 90% in 6 days after infestation and the growth of the survival larvae were seriously inhibited. Results of PCR and Southern blot analysis indicated that both Bt Cry1Ac gene and API gene were integrated as a single copy into the genomes of these three plants when Cry1Ac gene fragment was used as the probe. Protein dot blot immunoassay and ELISA analysis revealed that at least the Cry1Ac protein was produced in these three transgenic plants and the expression levels were estimated to be approximately 0.015% of the leaf total soluble protein. This is the first report on insect resistant transgenic hybrid poplar 741 that expresses two insecticidal protein genes.

Analysis of Codon Usage Between Different Poplar Species

Codon usage is the selective and nonrandom use of synonymous codons to encode amino acids in genes for proteins. The analysis of codon usage may improve the understanding of cocion preferences between different species and allow to rebuild the codons of exogenous genes to increase the expression efficiency of exogenous genes, Here, codon DNA sequence （CDS） of four poplar species, including Populus tremuloides Michx., P. tomentosa Carr., P. deltoides Marsh., and P. trichocarpa Torr. ＆ Gray., is used to analyze the relative frequency of synonymous codon （RFSC）. High-frequency codons are selected by high-frequency （HF） codon analysis. The results indicate that the codon usage is common for all four poplar species and the codon preference is quite similar among the four poplar species. However, CCT encoding for Pro, and ACT coding for Thr are the preferred codons in P. tremuloides and P. tomentosa, whereas CCA coding for Pro, and ACA coding for Thr are preferred in P. deltoides and P. trichocarpa The codons such as TGC coding for Cys, TTC coding for Phe, and AAG coding for Lys, are preferred in the poplar species except P trichocarpa. GAG coding for Glu is preferred only in P deltoides, while the other three poplar species prefer to use GAA. The commonness of preferred codon allows exogenous gene designed by the preferred cocion of one of the different poplar species to be used in other poplar species.

Cloning of cDNA Encoding COMT from Chinese White Poplar ( Populus tomentosa ), Sequence Analysis and Specific Expression

The cDNA fragment encoding caffeic acid 3_O_methyltransferase (COMT) in Chinese white poplar ( Populus tomentosa Carr.) was isolated and cloned by RT_PCR technique. The size of the cDNA fragment is 1 080 bp, which almost covers the whole cDNA_encoding region. Authors’ cDNA fragment in P. tomentosa shares 98.7% homology with the reported corresponding cDNA in the P. tremuloids at nucleotide level, 99.4% homology at amino acid level, respectively. The analysis of Northern dot hybridization showed that COMT is expressed specifically in the developing secondary xylem of stem during the season of xylem differentiation, which means the linkage between the gene expression for a monolignol biosynthetic enzyme and seasonal regulation of xylem development in woody plant.