METHODS A field experiment was conducted by subjecting plants of Abutilon theophrasti to four periods of emergence in spring (ET1), late spring (ET2), summer (ET3) and late summer (ET4), and measuring a number of traits, to calculate and analyze the correlations of plasticity with canalization and integration in these traits at two growth stages. RESULTS Plants with delayed emergence had higher level of phenotypic integration, but only the plants emerged in late spring (ET2) had a case of negative correlation between integration and plasticity; decreased canalization had more positive correlations with plasticity in plants except for those emerged in summer (ET3). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the relationships of plasticity with integration and canalization in traits will more rely on induced plasticity in traits is active or not and its strength, rather than the nature of environments. Plants have the intelligence to regulate individual-level mechanisms such as phenotypic integration and its relationship with plasticity to deal with within-generation challenges, but regulate population-level mechanisms such as canalization combined with plasticity in face of future-generations challenges