PubMed · 2026-05-14
Young Schneider's zelkova trees grow nearly three times taller under approximately 50% shade than in full sunlight, making deliberate canopy thinning a practical strategy for establishing this timber species beneath existing forest cover in southern China.
Seedlings grown at ~51% of full sunlight showed 197.69% greater height gain and 145.27% greater stem diameter gain compared to full-sun controls.
Photosynthetic pigment content was the physiological trait most sensitive to light changes, showing higher plasticity than leaf shape or growth-form traits.
Leaf area per unit mass was greatest under deep shade (22% sunlight), indicating leaves expanded to compensate for low light — but growth performance still peaked at moderate shade.