“…Similar results were obtained by Bloemen, Vergeynst, Overlaet‐Michiels, and Steppe () in young P. deltoides x nigra trees showing a 30% reduction in stem growth of light‐excluded trees. Besides contributing to stem growth, locally assimilated carbohydrates can also be used in protection against insects (Zvereva & Kozlov, ), to maintain plant hydraulic integrity and increase xylem resistance to hydraulic failure (Bloemen et al, ; Sevanto, Mcdowell, Dickman, Pangle, & Pockman, ) and to refill xylem vessels after embolism (Liu et al, ; Schmitz, Egerton, Lovelock, & Ball, ; Secchi & Zwieniecki, ; Zwieniecki & Holbrook, ). For instance, De Baerdemaeker, Salomón, De Roo, and Steppe () demonstrated that branches wrapped in aluminium foil, and thus unable to perform P wt , were more vulnerable to drought‐induced embolism.…”