EN
Plant breeders have focused much attention on polyploid trees because of their resistance for forestry. To evaluate the impact of intraspecies genome duplication on NaHCO3 stress, a series of Betula platyphylla autotetraploids and diploids were generated from the same family. The growth, proline content and proline-associated gene expression of these autotetraploid individuals were compared with those diploid trees. Autotetraploids were superior in injury index and relative growth of height and base diameter compared to diploids. The proline content was higher in autotetraploid individuals compared to diploids. Gene expression data revealed autotetraploids were generally higher expression in BpP5CS1, BpP5CS2, Bp- P5CR1, BpP5CR2, BpP5CR3 and BpOAT and were lower expression in BpProDH and BpP5CDH compared to diploid trees. These results shed light on resistance variation in birch autotetraploidization and polyploidy breeding as a new approach for genetic improvement of birch trees.