Photoperiod and Temperature Regulation of Floral Initiation and Anthesis in Soya Bean

Floral development includes initiation of floral primordia andsubsequent anthesis as discrete events, even though in manyinvestigations only anthesis is considered. For ‘Ransom’soya bean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] grown at day/night temperaturesof 18/14, 22/18, 26/22, 30/26, and 34/30 °C and exposedto photoperiods of 10, 12, 14, 15, and 16 h, time of anthesisranged from less than 21 days after exposure at the shorterphotoperiods and warmer temperatures to more than 60 days atlonger photoperiods and cooler temperatures. For all temperatureregimes, however, floral primordia were initiated under shorterphotopenods within 3 to 5 days after exposure and after notmore than 7 to 10 days exposure to longer photoperiods. Onceinitiation had begun, time required for differentiation of individualfloral primordia and the duration of leaf initiation at shootapices increased with increasing length of photoperiod. Whileproduction of nodes ceased abruptly under photoperiods of 10and 12 h, new nodes continued to be formed concurrently withinitiation of axillary floral primordia under photoperiods of14, 15 and 16 h. The vegetative condition at the main stem shootapex was prolonged under the three longer photoperiods and issuggestive of the existence of an intermediate apex under theseconditions. The results indicate that initiation and anthesisare controlled independently rather than collectively by photoperiod,and that floral initiation consists of two independent steps—onefor the first-initiated flower in an axil of a main stem leafand a second for transformation of the terminal shoot apex fromthe vegetative to reproductive condition. Apical meristem, intermediate apex, floral initiation, anthesis, photoinduction, Glycine max(L.) Merrill, soya bean, photoperiod, temperature     

Responses of Leaf and Tiller Emergence and Primordium Initiation in Wheat and Barley to Interchanged Photoperiod

The influence of constant (9, 13 and 19 h) and reciprocally-interchangedphotoperiods [at terminal spikelet (TS) or triple mound (TM)]on leaf, tiller and primordium development were examined usingphotoperiod-responsive cultivars of spring wheat, ‘UQ189’ and spring barley, ‘Arapiles’. In bothspecies, constant longer photoperiod reduced the duration fromsowing (S) to double ridge (DR), as expected. However, photoperiodsensitivity was not restricted to this mainly vegetative phase.There was also a marked increase or reduction in the durationof reproductive phases between TS/TM and heading (H) when plantswere transferred to shorter or longer photoperiods respectively,compared with controls. These responses were largely independentof the photoperiod during previous phases although minor effectsof the previous photoperiod were observed. For both species,the time course of leaf emergence was linear, or bi-linear,depending on the final leaf number on the main stem. The rateof leaf emergence was faster for the first six to eight leavesthan for the leaves appearing subsequently. The rate of emergenceof early-formed leaves was independent of photoperiod whereasthe rate of emergence of later leaves varied with photoperiod.Photoperiod also affected the dynamics of tillering. The rateof leaf primordium initiation was little affected by variationin photoperiod, but the rate of spikelet initiation increasedwith increases in photoperiod. The rates of leaf and spikeletprimordium initiation were both substantially higher in barleythan in wheat. The fact that the reproductive phase from TS/TMto H was largely independent of the duration of the previousphase provides evidence that this phase might be geneticallymanipulated to increase the time for floret development andhence grain number. Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Photoperiod, rate of development and leaf emergence, tillering, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)     

Photoperiod Sensitivity during Flower Development of Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.)

Photoperiod is a major factor in flower development of the opiumpoppy (Papaver somniferum L. ‘album DC’) which isa long-day plant. Predicting time to flower in field-grown opiumpoppy requires knowledge of which stages of growth are sensitiveto photoperiod and how the rate of flower development is influencedby photoperiod. The objective of this work was to determinewhen poppy plants first become sensitive to photoperiod andhow long photoperiod continues to influence the time to firstflower under consistent temperature conditions. Plants weregrown in artificially-lit growth chambers with either a 16-hphotoperiod (highly flower inductive) or a 9-h photoperiod (non-inductive).Plants were transferred at 1 to 3-d intervals from a 16- toa 9-h photoperiod andvice versa . All chambers were maintainedat a 12-h thermoperiod of 25/20 °C. Poppy plants becamesensitive to photoperiod 4 d after emergence and required aminimum of four inductive cycles (short dark periods) beforethe plant flowered. Additional inductive cycles, up to a maximumof nine, hastened flowering. After 13 inductive cycles, floweringtime was no longer influenced by photoperiod. These resultsindicate that the interval between emergence and first flowercan be divided into four phases: (1) a photoperiod-insensitivejuvenile phase (JP); (2) a photoperiod-sensitive inductive phase(PSP); (3) a photoperiod-sensitive post-inductive phase (PSPP);and (4) a photoperiod-insensitive post-inductive phase (PIPP).The minimum durations of these phases forPapaver somniferum‘album DC’ under the conditions of our experimentwere determined as 4 d, 4 d, 9 d, and 14 d, respectively. Anthesis; days to flowering; flower bud; opium poppy; Papaver somniferum L.; photoperiod; photoperiod sensitivity; predicting time to flowering; transfer     

Effects of Photoperiod, Nitrogen Nutrition and Temperature on Inflorescence Initiation and Development in Onion (Allium cepa L.)

The effects of photoperiod, nitrogen nutrition and temperatureon inflorescence initiation and development in onion cv. Rijnsburgerand cv. Senshyu Semi-globe Yellow were studied in controlledenvironments. Rates of inflorescence initiation were estimatedusing the data for leaf numbers formed prior to flower formationand the rates of leaf initiation. At 9 °C inflorescenceinitiation was accelerated by long photoperiods particularlyfor cv. Rijnsburger where the average time for initiation was86 days in 8 h and 38 days in 20 h photoperiods. Initiationwas as rapid at 12 °C as at 9 °C but was slower at 6°C. A reduction in the nitrate concentration in the nutrientsolution from 0.012 to 0.0018 M greatly accelerated inflorescenceinitiation particularly in photoperiods and temperatures notconducive to rapid initiation. Cv. Senshyu initiated more slowlythan cv. Rijnsburger and was less sensitive to photoperiod andnitrogen level. The development rate of inflorescences afterinitiation was accelerated by long photoperiods and increasesin temperature from 6 to 12 °C but was retarded by the lowernitrogen level. Allium cepa L., onion, flower initiation, inflorescence development, photoperiod, nitrogen nutrition, temperature, vernalization     

Developmental rates of the copepods Calanus australisand Calanoides carinatus in the laboratory, with discussion of methods used for calculation of development time

The copepods Calanus australis and Calanoides carinatus developedfrom egg to adult in 20.3 and 18.3 days respectively at 15.5?Cand 16.0 and 12.0 days at 19.5?C. For both species the durationof the first two naupliar stages was short, <1 day. The thirdnaupliar stage was prolonged in C.australis but short in C.carinatus. Isochronal development was approximated from fourthnauplius through third copepodite; fourth and fifth copepoditestages were relatively long. Only female C.australis were produced;60% of the C.carinatus were female. Equiproportional developmentwas found for C.carinatus but not for C.australis. For bothspecies the variance in stage duration was established at thethird nauplius then remained unchanged through the older stages.In calculating developmental rates several commonly used methodswere compared. The method of ‘first appearance of an individualof a given stage’ and ‘mean time of appearance ofa stage’ both yielded estimates of development time thatwere 10–15% faster than the more commonly used methodof ‘median development time’. We suggest that allfuture work on developmental rates of copepods should use astandardized method for the calculation of stage-specific developmentalrates and that ‘median development time’ be themethod of choice. ³Present address: Marine Sciences Research Center, SUNY, StonyBrook, NY 11794-5000, USA     

Development of Meristems of Weigela florida Variety 'Bristol Ruby' Following Reproductive Induction in Long Days

Weigela florida variety ‘Bristol Ruby’ has longday requirements for its growth and, in general, for its flowering.Vegetative development, floral initiation and floral organogenesisare described using scanning electron microscopy during photoperiodictreatment in long days, under controlled conditions. Flowering of axillary buds of cuttings has been studied. Theapex of Weigela at the vegetative phase is characterized bya very small hollow meristem. After 9 long days, the meristemenlarges and, after 12 long days, early axillary buds are initiatedin the axils of the leaves, which become bracts. When the numberof long days was increased, flowers were initiated in the budson the induced branches; first at the proximal part of the branchwhere development afterwards slowed down, then on the medianparts of the branch where development was accelerated. Two bracteoles are differentiated soon after floral initiation;first initiation of the calyx required 18 long days. Petals,stamens and ovary were rapidly initiated after that. Weigelaflowers are clustered; the inflorescence ceased growth by abortionof the terminal meristem or by formation of a terminal flower.In axillary buds of the fifth node the formation of the clusterwas completed about 20 days after the beginning of floral induction. Weigela florida ‘Bristol Ruby’, scanning electron microscopic analysis, vegetative meristem, floral development stages, long days induction     

Patterns of Assimilate Distribution and Source--sink Relationships in the Young Reproductive Tomato Plant (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Patterns of distribution of ¹⁴C were determined in 47-day-oldtomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) 24 h after theapplication of [¹⁴C]sucrose to individual source leaves fromleaves 1–10 (leaf 1 being the first leaf produced abovethe cotyledons). The first inflorescence of these plants wasbetween the ‘buds visible’ and the ‘firstanthesis’ stages of development. The predominant sink organs in these plants were the root system,the stem, the developing first inflorescence and the shoot ‘apex’(all tissues above node 10). The contribution made by individualsource leaves to the assimilate reaching these organs dependedupon the vertical position of the leaf on the main-stem axisand upon its position with respect to the phyllotactic arrangementof the leaves about this axis. The root system received assimilateprincipally from leaf 5 and higher leaves, and the stem apexfrom the four lowest leaves. The developing first inflorescencereceived assimilates mainly from leaves in the two orthostichiesadjacent to the radial position of the inflorescence on thevertical axis of the plant; these included leaves which weremajor contributors of ¹⁴C to the root system (leaves 6 and 8)and to the shoot apex (leaves 1 and 3). This pattern of distributionof assimilate may explain why root-restriction treatments andremoval of young leaves at the shoot apex can reduce the extentof flower bud abortion in the first inflorescence under conditionsof reduced photoassimilate availability. Lycopersicon esculentum Mill, tomato, assimilate distribution, source-sink relationships     

Growth and Dry-weight Distribution in Callistephus chinensis as Influenced by Lighting Treatment

Plants of two cultivars of Callistephus chinensis (Queen ofthe Market and Johannistag) were grown in 8 h of daylight perday with one of the following treatments given during the 16h dark period: (a) darkness—‘uninterrupted night’,(b) I h of light in the middle of the dark period—a ‘nightbreak’, (c) I min of light in every hour of the dark period—‘cycliclighting’, (d) light throughout—‘continuouslight’. The plants receiving uninterrupted dark periods remained compactand rosetted in habit with small leaves, while leaf expansion,stem extension, and flower initiation were promoted in all threeillumination treatments (b, c, d). Although these three treatmentsproduced similar increases in leaf area, continuous light wasthe most effective for the promotion of both stem growth andflower initiation while cyclic lighting was generally more effectivethan a I-h night break. Continuous light also caused more dry matter to be divertedto stems at any given vegetative dry weight and it was shownthat the stem weight ratio of both varieties was correlatedwith stem length.     

Floral Inhibition in Lemna paucicostata 6746 Due to Night Interruption

The floral response to various 24-h photoperiodic cycles ofthe short-day plant, Lemna paucicostata 6746 was investigated.No day that had a main photoperiod longer than about 14 h wasable to induce flowers, evidence that the critical day lengthwas ca.14 h. Flowering in the 12-, 9- or 6-h day was inhibitedcompletely by a light pulse inserted daily in the ‘inhibitionzone’ that ranged from about 14 h after the precedingdawn to about 14 h before the next dusk. In the 3- and 1-h days,only the pulse applied 14 h after the dawn completely inhibitedflowering. These results suggest that the daily night interruption prohibitedflowering only when it was linked to either the preceding orthe subsequent main photoperiod to form a skeleton photoperiodwhose length was equal to, or longer than, the critical daylength. Analysis of the floral response to skeleton schedules11:13 and 13:11 on Pittendrigh's model of the photoperiodicclock indicated that light-on circadian oscillation probablyis involved in the day length measurement. ¹ Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Joji Ashida. (Received July 13, 1982; Accepted January 17, 1983)     

Effects of Gibberellin, Clone and Environment on Cone Initiation, Shoot Growth and Branching in Pinus contorta

Effects of photoperiod, temperature and gibberellin applicationwere clearly separated from clonal differences when small rootedcuttings, originating from two ‘floriferous’ treesof the same provenance of Pinus contorta Dougl., were treatedwith a simple micro-injection technique and grown in growthcabinets. Short days (10 h) for 11 weeks induced six times asmany female cones as long days (19.5 h), completely inhibitedfurther needle elongation after 5 weeks, and also led to enhancedbranching by year 3. Cool temperatures appeared to favour malecone initiation in year 1, and (in conjunction with long days)significantly promoted height in year 2. Injection with 1 mgGA_4/7 led to substantial and highly significant increases inbud growth in year 1, and in height, needle number and totalneedle length in year 2. Gibberellin treatment also increasedbranching but did not significantly affect internode elongationin year 2, nor cone initiation or needle elongation in year1. Highly significant clonal differences occurred, with onegenotype having longer leaves and buds in year 1, and up to80 per cent greater numbers and total lengths of needles inyear 2. Marked clonal differences in height growth, branchingand sex ratio were also found. The implications of both resultsand approach are discussed in relation to developmental physiology,genetic selection and advances in forestry research. leaf growth, height growth, branching, cone initiation, sex, photoperiod, temperature, controlled environments, gibberellin, vegetative propagation, clonal differences, Pinus contorta,, pine     

Effects on Growth and Development of Individual Chromosomes from Slow-growing Lophopyrum elongatum Love when Incorporated into Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Aspects of growth and development were evaluated in the fast-developingannual Triticum aestivum L. ‘Chinese Spring’, theslow-developing perennial Lophopyrum elongatum Löve, theiramphiploid, and chromosome addition and substitution lines ofL. elongatum into ‘Chinese Spring’. Relative growthrates (RGR) of shoots of L. elongatum and the amphiploid werelower than those of ‘Chinese Spring’ (34 and 13%respectively) and main stem development was also slower. Therewas no difference in shoot RGR of any of the chromosome additionor substitution lines and that of ‘Chinese Spring’when assessed between Haun stages 2.0 and 5.0. In contrast,several aspects of plant development were observed to differin the chromosome addition and substitution lines. SubstitutingE genome chromosomes (with the exceptions of 3E and 4E) forD genome chromosomes, or adding E genome chromosomes, slowedthe rate of main stem development, at least up to Haun stage5.0. Despite these differences in the rate of main stem development,the appearance of adventitious roots commenced at approximatelyHaun stage 2.0 in all genotypes. However, the numbers of adventitiousroots and tillers at the 5.0 Haun stage differed between someof the lines when compared to ‘Chinese Spring’.Although incorporation of some L. elongatum chromosomes alteredaspects of plant development, all lines showed more similarityto bread wheat than to L. elongatum, reflecting, in part, thegreater genetic contribution made by bread wheat to these lines.Copyright 2001 Annals of Botany Company Adventitious roots, chromosome addition and substitution lines, Haun stage, Lophopyrum elongatum, relative growth rate (RGR), Triticum aestivum(wheat)     

Development in wheat as affected by timing and length of exposure to long photoperiod

Seeds of a spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. ‘Condor’)were vernalized and then grown at 19C in two naturally–litenvironments, one with a moderate (12 h) and the other withlong (18 h) photoperiod. Treatments consisted of transfers ofplants from the moderate to the long photoperiod chamber ondifferent occasions, or for periods of different durations.The main objectives were to determine whether wheat developmentresponds to current and previous photoperiodic environmentsand whether there is a juvenile phase when the plants are insensitiveto photoperiod. Plants under constant 18 h photoperiod had fewerleaves which appeared faster than those under constant 12 hphotoperiod (i.e. phyllochron was increased from 4.4 to 5.1d leaf^–1). Plants transferred from 12 h to 18 h photoperiodat terminal spikelet appearance (TSA) reached anthesis 4 d earlierthan plants retained at 12 h, while plants under continuouslong photoperiod (18 h) completed this phase most rapidly. Thus,there was some evidence for a historic effect of photoperiodon development. Exposure to long photoperiod during the first 5 d after plantemergence accelerated the rate of development towards anthesis,suggesting that there was no juvenile period of photoperiodicinsensitivity. There were, however, changes during ontogenyin the degree of sensitivity to long photoperiod, increasingfrom seedling emergence to a maximum c. 15 d later, and thendecreasing again. Although all treatments were imposed beforeTSA, the response was not limited to the pre-TSA phase, suggestingthat well before the terminal spikelet appeared, the plant wasalready committed to the initiation of this spikelet. Spikeletnumber decreased with delayed transfer to long photoperiod witha minimum for plants transferred to long days from 16-20 d afterseedling emergence. Additionally, there was a trend for an increasein the rate of leaf appearance (decrease in phyllochron) whenthe plants were exposed to long days between 10 and 35 d afterseedling emergence. Although the differences were small, whenconsidered in conjunction with the effects on final leaf numberthey become important in explaining differences in time to anthesis. Key words: Development, flowering, leaf number, photoperiod, phyllochron, Triticum aestivum     

Cultivar Differences in the Performance of Bean Seedlings at Suboptimal Temperatures

Growth analysis of plants raised under controlled environments(10–5, 12, 15, 18 and 20 °C, and 21 h photoperiod)was used to examine whether varietal differences in the minimumgermination temperature of four bean cultivars persist duringgrowth at suboptimal temperatures. A method to estimate theminimum vegetative growth temperature, based on axis relativegrowth rate, was developed. In order to compensate for ontogeneticdrift, the harvests were conducted at the same stage of developmentof the plants. Axis relative growth rates, reduction rates ofthe cotyledons and other growth parameters were calculated inorder to compare the cultivars. Cultivar ‘Marschall’showed better growth potential at 12 °C than the others,‘Pergousa‘ at 15 °C, and ‘Marschall’,‘Olsok’ and ‘Pergousa’ at 18 and 20°C. The effect of temperature on axis RGR was similar for‘Marschall’, ‘Olsok’ and ‘Pergousa’(Q₁₀ = 2·1) and more pronounced than for ‘Processor’(Q₁₀ = 1·3). Although there were significant differencesin the growth parameters among the cultivars within each temperatureused, the differences did not correspond with the differencesduring germination at low temperatures. The minimum vegetativegrowth temperature was close to 10 °C for all the cultivarstested. Phaseolus vulgaris L., beans, suboptimum temperature, growth analysis, minimum germination temperature, minimum vegetative growth temperature     

Morphology and Anatomy of Stems and Pedicels of Spring Flush Shoots Associated with Citrus Fruit Set

Flowering and vegetative shoots of ‘Shamouti’ orange[Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] and ‘Marsh’ seedlessgrapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) were examined for correlationof their morphology and anatomy with fruit set. Fruit set isfavoured on leafy inflorescences whereas abortion is nearlycomplete on leafless inflorescences. Leafless inflorescencesof ‘Shamouti’ with one flower were found to havea very thin stem which contained few vascular bundles, whereasthose with three flowers had better-developed vascular systems.The vascular system of leafy inflorescences is significantlydifferent from that of leafless ones and contains a distinctcentral xylem cylinder. The vascular area of leafless inflorescencesis only about one-quarter of that of the leafy ones. The vascularsystem of grapefruit resembles that of the ‘Shamouti’orange. This study emphasizes the importance of the dimensionof the vascular system for fruit set and provides a possibleexplanation for the better fruit set on both leafy and leaflessinflorescences with several flowers compared with single-floweredinflorescences. Anatomy; citrus; fruit set; leafless inflorescence; leafy inflorescence; pedicel; vascular system; vegetative shoot     

Impedance Spectroscopy in Frost Hardiness Evaluation of Rhododendron Leaves

Impedance spectroscopy was used in studying frost hardinessof leaves of two diploid rhododendron cultivars, RhododendronL. ‘PJM’ and R. ‘Cunningham's White’,and their tetraploid derivatives, R. ‘Northern Starburst’(NSB) and CW4. After the growing season and initial hardeningin a greenhouse, plants were subjected to an acclimation regimein a phytotron: 3 consecutive weeks at +5, +1 and -2°C each.Hardiness was studied with controlled freezing tests beforeeach decrease in temperature and at the end of the experiment,based on data of extracellular resistance r_eand relaxation time of the frost-exposed leaves. The correlation of the two estimateswas 0.92. Generally, the diploid clones had better frost hardinessthan the tetraploid clones. At the end of the experiment, frosthardiness of the diploid ‘PJM’ was -28.7°C andthat of the tetraploid NSB -20.6°C. Leaves of the diploid‘Cunningham's White’ and of the tetraploid CW4 hardenedto -32.0°C and -20.9°C, respectively. Frost hardinessestimated by impedance spectroscopy correlated well with earlierresults based on visual scoring (r = 0.81–0.86) and electrolyteleakage tests (r = 0.84–0.90), but results from impedancespectroscopy indicated weaker hardiness than the other tests.The difference between the results from impedance spectroscopyand the other tests was smaller and more coherent within the‘Cunningham's White’ clones than within ‘PJM’and NSB. Changes in extracellular and intracellular resistanceof non-frozen leaves during the acclimation correlated withthe changes in frost hardiness of ‘Cunningham's White’clones, but not with those of ‘PJM’ and NSB, whichbelong to another subspecies.Copyright 2000 Annals of BotanyCompany Cold resistance, evergreen, frost hardiness, impedance spectroscopy, polyploid, Rhododendron, tetraploid     

Leaf and Tiller Production of Prairie Grass (Bromus willdenowii Kunth) and Two Ryegrass (Lolium) Species

A detailed morphological study of three prairie grass cultivars(Bromus willdenowii Kunth) was conducted under ‘vegetative’and ‘reproductive’ growth conditions (short andlong photoperiods) and at different temperatures. Perennialryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and Westerwolds ryegrass (Loliummuhiflorum Lam.) were compared during vegetative growth. Prairie grass had higher leaf appearance rates (leaves per tillerper day) and lower site filling (tillers per tiller per leafappearance interval) than the ryegrass species. Tillering rates(tillers per tiller per day) were also lower, except under vegetativeconditions at 4C. Low tiller number in prairie grass was notdue to lack of tiller sites but a result of poor filling ofthese sites. Lower site filling occurred because of increaseddelays in appearance of the youngest axillary tiller and lackof axillary tillers emerging from basal tiller buds. In prairiegrass, no tillers came from coleoptile buds while only occasionallydid prophyll buds develop tillers. Low tiller number in prairiegrass was compensated for by greater tiller weight. Prairiegrass had more live leaves per tiller, greater area per leafand a high leaf area per plant. Considerable variation between cultivars was found in prairiegrass. The cultivar ‘Bellegarde’ had high leaf appearance,large leaves and rapid reproductive development, but had lowlevels of site filling, tillering rate, final tiller numberand herbage quality during reproductive growth. ‘Primabel’tended to have the opposite levels for these parameters, while‘Grasslands Matua’ was intermediate and possiblyprovided the best balance of all plant parameters. prairie grass, Bromus willdenowii Kunth, perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L., Westerwolds ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam., temperature, photoperiod, leaf appearance, leaf area, tillering, site filling, tillering sites, yield     

Distribution of Assimilates from Various Source Leaves During the Development of Gladiolus grandiflorus

The distribution pattern of the products of photosynthesis wasstudied in gladiolus plants (Gladiolus grandiflorus cv Eurovision)in four stages of development I, plants having a very younginflorescence still enclosed between the leaves; II, plantswith a young inflorescence just emerged from the leaves, III,plants at full bloom, IV, plants with young fruits. The first,third or sixth foliage leaf was labelled with ¹⁴CO₂, and subsequentdistribution in the plant was determined Results were expressedas a percentage of translocated ¹⁴C accumulated by each partof the plant which gives a measure of its ‘sink strength’,or as ‘relative sink activity’ (RSA) which is independentof the size of the indicated organ. There are two competing sinks in the developing gladiolus—theinflorescence and the new corm. When RSA is the criterton theinflorescence constitutes the main sink irrespective of thesource leaf from the first stage until flowering. With the subsequentwilting of the flowers and fruit set RSA of the inflorescencedeclines rapidly and the new corm becomes the main sink When‘sink strength’ is the criterton it appears thatthe inflorescence acts as a very weak sink when it is youngand becomes increasingly stronger until flowering and then declinessteeply. Sink strength of the corm declines during the developmentof the inflorescence and then increases again steeply with wiltingof the flowers and fruit set. There are small differences betweenthe various source leaves. The young new corm acts as a strongsink for the lower foliage leaf and progressively weaker forupper leaves. Gladiolus grandiflorus, flower development, corm, assimilates distribution, sink strength, relative sink activity     

Photothermal Time for Flowering in Faba Bean (Vicia faba) and the Analysis of Potential Vernalization Responses

One cultivar and one land-race of faba bean were subjected to18 potentially vernalizing pre-treatments (constant temperaturesof 1, 5 or 9 °C factorially combined with photoperiods of8 or 16 h d^–1 for 10, 30 or 60 d), and then transferredinto four different growing regimes (‘day’/‘night’temperatures of 18/5 °C or 24/13 °C factorially combinedwith photoperiods of 11 or 16 h d–1). Control plants weregrown entirely in the latter four regimes. The times from sowingto appearance of first open flowers were recorded for all plants.Control plants of the land-race Zeidab Local flowered soonerin long days and in the warmer regime. Pre-treatment reducedthe subsequent time to flower in the four growing-on regimesbut most of the variation in the total time to first flowerfor the pre-treated plants was accounted for by differencesin the combined photothermal time accumulated in the two successiveenvironments - which was predicted by a simple photothermalmodel. Thus, there was neither a specific low-temperature nora short-day vernalization response in this accession. Similarly,no true low-temperature or short-day vernalization responsewas detected in the cv. Maris Bead. However, this UK cultivarflowered later than predicted in the 24/13 °C regime, indicatingthat the 24 °C ‘day’ temperature was supraoptimal.Delays to flowering at 24/13 °C were, however, less evidentwhen plants were grown in long days or following prolonged (30–60d) pre-treatments at cool temperatures. Viciafaba faba, bean, flowering, photoperiodism, vernalization, photothermal time, screening germplasm.     

Pyrimidine Nucleotide Biosynthesis in Vinca rosea Cells: Changes in the Activity of the de novo and Salvage Pathways during Growth in a Suspension Culture

Marked changes in the activity of the ‘de novo’and ‘salvage’ pathways of pyrimidine biosynthesisduring growth of Vinca rosea cells in a batch suspension culturewere observed. The activity of these pathways was investigated by determiningthe contribution of ¹⁴C of [2-¹⁴Cluracil, 12-¹⁴Cluridine. and[6-¹⁴Clorotate to the cell constituents and by measuring theactivity of the several enzymes of these pathways. During the lag phase of the culture, ‘uracil-’ and‘uridine-salvage’ pathways made the predominantcontribution to nucleotide biosynthesis, but, following theinitiation of cell division, the ‘de novo’ pathwayfor nucleotide biosynthesis operated appreciably. These results suggest that nucleotide synthesis during cellgrowth in a suspension culture can be divided into two stages:a ‘turnover stage’, during the lag phase of cellgrowth, and a ‘true biosynthetic stage’, which isinitiated in the cell division phase.