Short rotation coppice (SRC) willow plantations may play an important role in the future for biomass production purposes. However the high planting density schemes combined with the frequent harvests occurring in such plantations could rapidly deplete soil resources. The use of genotypes able to produce greater amounts of biomass by using the least water and nutrients may help mitigating this risk. this study aimed at assessing among six willow genotypes (1) the variability of traits related to productivity (e.g. aboveground dry biomass or stem height), leaf and wood nitrogen (N) contents, N exportation rate and water-use efficiency (WUE) as estimated through bulk leaf carbon isotope discrimination (Delta C-13), (2) the relationships among traits, and (3) the plasticity of these traits and of the relationships among them across different sites. The six genotypes were grown under SRC at three sites in northern France differing primarily in pedoclimatic characteristics for two years. A significant genotypic variability was found for all traits, and the genotypic ranking for traits related to productivity and for Delta C-13. Delta C-13 was negatively correlated with total shoot dry biomass and/or height irrespective of the site, meaning that the most productivity genotypes were also the most efficient to use water. In conclusion, no antagonism was detected between biomass production and WUE. The most productive and most water-use efficient genotypes were the ones responsible for the highest nitrogen removal from the plantaion during harvest. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.