Aspects of nitrogen uptake and distribution in maize

The amount of nitrogen (N) taken up after treatment decreased by nearly 50% when either the top five or middle four leaf laminae of maize (Zea mays) plants were removed shortly after flowering, and by 70% when both the middle four and bottom six laminae were removed, but the amount of N moving from the remaining parts of the shoot to the grain did not change much. When all the laminae were removed little N was taken up and only 35% as much N as in untreated plants moved from the shoot to the grain. Removal of all the laminae increased the N content per cent of dry weight of both grain and shoot at final harvest, but the other treatments did not have much effect on the N concentration of any of the parts of the shoot. Plants bearing grain, whether intact or with alternate laminae removed (half-defoliated) at the time of flowering, took up N approximately in proportion to their increase in dry weight during the 4 wk after flowering. The N taken up went to the ear (husks, core and grain) and so did N from the stem and leaves. Intact and half-defoliated plants with no developing grains, because pollination had been prevented, took up no N during this period, though they accumulated about as much dry matter as did plants with grain; the N increment of the husks and core was supplied by the stem and leaves. At final harvest total and grain N content of plants per unit area of land increased by 20 and nearly 30%, respectively, with increase in population between 2·3 and 6·1 plants/m², but apparently fell slightly with further increase of population to 7·4 plants/m². Until shortly after flowering N uptake was rapid enough to maintain similar N contents per cent of dry weight of the parts of the shoot in all populations. Uptake continued at a steady rate, though a slower one than before flowering, until near the time of final harvest in the most widely spaced population. In the denser populations uptake slowed down progressively after flowering, and in the densest population it apparently ceased a few weeks before final harvest. The N concentration of the grain of maturing plants fell with increase of population, but not that of the other parts of the shoot. At final harvest N content of the grain decreased from 1·6% in the most widely spaced to 1·2% in the densest population. That of the rest of the shoot varied between 0·70 and 0·79%. Between 6 and 18 wk after sowing, N content per unit area of green parts of the leaf laminae decreased only slightly, changing from about 20 to 18 mg/dm² with 2·3 plants/m², 18 to 16 mg/dm² with 3·5 plants/m², and 16 to 13 mg/dm² in populations between 4·8-7·4 plants/m².     

Distribution of Nitrogen during Growth of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The accumulation, distribution and redistribution of dry matterand nitrogen is described for Helianthus annuus L. cv. Hysun21 grown on 6 mM urea in glasshouse culture. Seed dry matterand nitrogen were transferred to seedlings with net efficienciesof 40 and 86 per cent respectively. At flowering, the stem hadmost of the plant's dry matter and the leaves most of its nitrogen.About 35 per cent of the plant's nitrogen accumulated afterthree-row anthesis. The amount of protein in vegetative parts,especially leaves, declined after flowering. Concentrationsof free amino compounds also decreased during growth. Matureseeds had 38 per cent of the total plant dry weight and 68 percent of the total nitrogen. Seeds acquired 33 per cent of theirdry matter and nitrogen from redistribution from above-groundplant parts. The stem was most important for storage of carbohydrate,leaves the most important for nitrogen. Over 50 per cent ofthe nitrogen in the stem and leaves was redistributed. Plantsthat received 6 mM nitrate accumulated more dry matter thanurea-grown plants. Seeds from nitrate-grown plants were heavier(58 mg) than those of urea-grown plants (46 mg), and their percentageoil was greater (50 and 41 respectively). The amount of nitrogenper seed was the same. Little or no urea was detected in xylem sap of plants suppliedwith 5 mM urea, but it was detected in sap of plants which received25 mM. Concentrations of urea and amino compounds in the sapdecreased up the stem. Plants supplied with nitrate had mostof the nitrogen in xylem sap as NO₂^–, suggesting littlenitrate reduction in roots. Plants grown on 6 mM nitrate andchanged to high levels of urea-nitrogen for 14 days still hadhigh levels of nitrate; little nitrate remained in plants receivinglow levels of urea. When urea is applied in irrigation waterto field-grown sunflower, the nitrogen is subsequently takenup as nitrate due to rapid nitrogen transformations in the soil. Helianthus annuus L., sunflower, urea, nitrate, nitrogen transport, xylem sap, nitrogen accumulation nitrogen distribution     

Effects of Drought on Partitioning of Nitrogen in Two Wheat Varieties Differing in Drought-tolerance

A model was constructed to describe the translocation and partitioningof nitrogen on the seventh day after anthesis for well-wateredand droughted plants of two wheat varieties (Triticum aestivumL. cv. Warigal and Condor). The glasshouse-grown plants weredetillered so that a simplified model could be derived for themain stem. A 9-d drought treatment was imposed just after anthesisand this coincided with the period of endosperm cell divisionin the grains. Warigal, which had a higher grain yield thanCondor under drought, absorbed up to 15-times more nitrogenand translocated 1.5-fold more nitrogen to the shoot via thexylem. In both varieties, nitrogen redistributed from vegetativeorgans accounted for more than 60 per cent in control and 70per cent in droughted plants of the nitrogen needed for eargrowth. The net loss of nitrogen increased by 4-3 per cent inthe leaves, but decreased by 60 per cent in the stem under drought.Stem and roots appeared to play an important role in the nitrogeneconomy of droughted plants: less nitrogen was translocateddirectly to the grains from the senescing leaves and 40–60per cent more nitrogen was translocated to the roots. Nearlyall the nitrogen reaching the roots in the phloem was reloadedinto the xylem stream and translocated back to the shoot. Thetransfer of nitrogen through the stem was reduced under droughtand this resulted in a constant C:N ratio of the grains whichmay be important in the regulation of endosperm cell division. Triticum aestivum L., wheat, drought, nitrogen, senescence, translocation     

Uptake and Distribution of Copper in Chrysanthemum morifolium

The effects of various levels of copper on the uptake and distributionof copper in Chrysanthemum morifolium grown in solution cultureand peat-sand have been examined. Whole plants growing in shortdays were sampled at regular intervals, divided into roots,stem, leaves and lateral shoots, and analysed for copper. Thepartitioning of copper between these tissues showed that a relativelylarge proportion (30–40 per cent) of the total plant copperwas accumulated in the roots of normal plants during the harvestingperiod, compared with approximately 10 per cent in the rootsof copper deficient plants. Whilst the copper content (ug g^–1) of leaves and stemfrom normal plants was negatively correlated with the amountof dry matter produced (P < 0·001), the correspondingcopper deficient tissues showed little variation in copper contentwith increases in tissue dry weight. A more detailed investigationof the copper content of leaves from normal plants showed thatgradients existed within the plant with respect to both leafposition and time of harvest which could be described by a singlecubic surface equation (P < 0·001).     

Profiles of Leaf Senescence During Reproductive Growth of Sunflower and Maize

We investigated the effect of reproductive growth on the profilesof leaf senescence in maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthusannuus L.). Leaf senescence after flowering was assessed usingboth structural (leaf chlorophyll, nitrogen and dry matter)and functional (photosynthesis) variables in undisturbed plants(+G) and in plants in which grain set was prevented (-G). Twoweeks after flowering, lack of grain accelerated senescencein maize and delayed senescence in sunflower as indicated byleaf chlorophyll; leaf nitrogen and dry matter were less sensitiveresponse variables. Lack of interaction between reproductivetreatment and leaf position indicates that the senescence signal,whatever its nature, was equally effective throughout the plantin both species. In both species, feedback inhibition of photosynthesiswas first detected 30–35 d after flowering; excess carbohydratein the leaves was therefore an unlikely trigger of acceleratedsenescence in maize. As reproductive development progressed,differences between +G and -G plants were more marked in sunflower,and tended to disappear or reverse in maize. In sunflower, interactionsbetween leaf position and reproductive treatment—attributableto the local effect of grain—were detected around 20–27d after flowering. Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Helianthus annuus, Zea mays, chlorophyll, light, nitrogen, photosynthesis, reproductive growth, senescence, source-sink, SPAD.     

The Contribution of Different Organs to Grain Weight in Upland and Swamp Rice

The contribution of dry matter was significantly greater inthe ears of Dima than that of Kindinga. The flag-leaf lamina,flag-leaf sheath and peduncle, lower leaves and stem of Kindingamade greater contribution of dry matter in the grain at harvestthan those of Dima. On the average of the two varieties 23 percent. of the dry matter in the grain at harvest originated fromphotosynthesis in the ears; 60 per cent. came from photosynthesisin the flag-leaf lamina and sheath and peduncle and 17 per cent.from parts of the shoot below the flag leaf.     

The Effects of Foliar Applications of (2-Chloroethyl)-trimethylammonium Chloride on Leaf Area and Dry Matter Production by the Brussels Sprout Plant

When CCC was applied as a spray to the leaves of Brassica oleraceaL. (Brussels sprout) grown in pots, plant height and mean internodelength were reduced. The effects appeared more slowly and wereless pronounced than those previously observed when CCC hadbeen applied to the soil; other differences were that root growthwas not inhibited, stem weight was only significantly reducedat the highest rate of application (2 per cent), and stomatalnumber per unit area of lower leaf epidermis was not affected.In common with soil applications, leaf thickness, stem diameter,and the percentage moisture contents of the leaves were allincreased by foliar applications.In a further experiment theprogress of wilting was observed in untreated plants and inplants treated with CCC applied either to the leaves or to thesoil. The rates of water loss and the moisture contents of theleaf laminae of the treated plants, after a period of wilting,were not significantly different from the controls. The treatedplants, however, looked less ‘wilted‘ for the changein angle of the leaf lamina to the stem was less and their leaveswere therefore held more upright.     

Effects of Chlorocholine Chloride and Water Regime on Growth, Yield, and Water Use of Spring Wheat

When CCC was applied as a spray to the leaves of Brassica oleraceaL. (Brussels sprout) grown in pots, plant height and mean internodelength were reduced. The effects appeared more slowly and wereless pronounced than those previously observed when CCC hadbeen applied to the soil; other differences were that root growthwas not inhibited, stem weight was only significantly reducedat the highest rate of application (2 per cent), and stomatalnumber per unit area of lower leaf epidermis was not affected.In common with soil applications, leaf thickness, stem diameter,and the percentage moisture contents of the leaves were allincreased by foliar applications.In a further experiment theprogress of wilting was observed in untreated plants and inplants treated with CCC applied either to the leaves or to thesoil. The rates of water loss and the moisture contents of theleaf laminae of the treated plants, after a period of wilting,were not significantly different from the controls. The treatedplants, however, looked less ‘wilted‘ for the changein angle of the leaf lamina to the stem was less and their leaveswere therefore held more upright.     

Physiological Causes of Differences in Grain Yield between Varieties of Barley

In a field experiment on barley at Rothamsted with the highmean yield of 49 cwt. of grain per acre, the varieties Proctorand Herta produced 10—15 per cent, more grain than Plumage-Archeron plots that received no nitrogenous fertilizer. When nitrogenwas applied the difference was increased to about 30 per cent.,because the higher nitrogen supply caused the Plumage-Archercrop to lodge and did not increase its yield, while Proctorand Herta remained standing. The three varieties did not differ in leaf-area index nor innet assimilation rate before ear emergence, so that all hadthe same total dry weight. After ear emergence, the leaf-areaindices of Proctor and Plumage-Archer were nearly equal, butthat of Herta was smaller. Assuming that the photosyntheticefficiency of the leaves continued to be the same in all varieties,the higher grain yields of Proctor and Herta cannot be attributedto greater production of dry matter by the leaves, either beforeor after ear emergence. A pot experiment on plants with shadedears confirmed that the dry matter contributed to grain yieldby unit leaf area was nearly equal in all the varieties. The higher grain yield of Proctor and Herta than of Plumage-Archermust therefore have come from additional photosynthesis in partsof the plant other than the leaves, i.e. in the ears themselves.An attempt to demonstrate this directly in a pot experiment,by comparing the grain yields of plants with shaded or withunshaded ears, was unsuccessful because the varieties behaveddifferently in pots; Proctor and Herta produced only about 6per cent, more grain yield than Plumage-Archer, and though thedecrease in grain yield by shading the ears was slightly greaterfor Proctor and Herta, the differences were not significant. The sum of ear sizes (estimated from length and breadth measurements)per m.1 in the field experiment was greater for Proctor andHerta than for Plumage-Archer. Also the distribution of drymatter between developing ears and shoots apparently differedwith variety, so that at ear emergence the dry weight of earsper m.² was greater in the two higher yielding varieties. Theincreased amount of photosynthetic tissue in the ears of Proctorand Herta, as measured by size or weight, may not wholly explaintheir greater dry-matter production; ears of Herta may alsohave a higher photosynthetic efficiency. No differences in nutrient uptake that could account for thevarietal differences in grain yield were found. Plumage-Archerabsorbed more potassium, and Herta less phosphorus than theother varieties. About a quarter of the final content of nitrogen,and a third of the phosphorus, was absorbed after ear emergence,but the potassium content was nearly maximal at ear emergenceand later decreased. The pot experiment showed that, on the average of all varieties,26 per cent. of the dry matter in the grain at harvest originatedfrom photosynthesis in the ears, including 10 per cent, fromthe awns; 59 per cent, came from photosynthesis in the flag-leaflamina and sheath and peduncle, and 15 per cent, from partsof the shoot below the flag leaf.     

Influence of Sink-Source Interaction on Dry Matter Production in Tomato

Sink-source ratio in tomato was manipulated, in six glasshouseexperiments, by fruit pruning (trusses pruned to two to sevenfruits immediately after fruit set of each truss), truss pruning(removal of every other truss at anthesis) and truss pruningin plants with two shoots. Periodic destructive harvest wereconducted for about 100 d after flowering of the first truss.Dry matter production was not influenced by sink-source ratio,whereas dry matter distribution between fruits and vegetativeparts was greatly affected. The fraction of dry matter distributedto the fruits at the end of the fruit pruning experiments (F_fruits)could be described accurately as a saturation-type functionof number of fruits retained per truss (N_f): F_fruits = 0.660(l-e^-0.341N_f). Specific leaf area and internode length decreasedand plant leaf area increased when sink-source ratio was reduced.Removal of every other truss at anthesis did reduce dry matterpartitioning into the fruits, but it did not influence internodelength. Plant development (number of visible leaves at the endof the experiments) was not influenced by sink-source ratio.In four experiments some plants were pruned to one fruit pertruss. Final dry matter production was 8-24% lower for theseplants, compared with plants with more than one fruit per truss.This was, at least party, the result of less light interceptionby these plants, which had strongly curled leaves pointing downwards. Results indicate that effects of sink demand on dry matter productionper unit of intercepted radiation and probably on leaf photosyntheticrate in commercial tomato production can be ignored.Copyright1995, 1999 Academic Press Dry matter production, feedback control, glasshouse, growth analysis, Lycopersicon esculentum, pruning, sink demand, sink-source ratio, tomato     

The Pattern of Distribution of Phosphorus and Dry Matter with Time in Spring Wheat

The pattern of distribution of dry matter and phosphorus wasfollowed in individual plants harvested from a field crop ofspring wheat throughout its development. There was a continueduptake of phosphorus with time and almost half of the totalphosphorus was accumulated in the post-anthesis period of growth.The various component parts of the main shoot were followedin detail and both individual leaves and the stem showed substantialnet losses of phosphorus with time well before they reachedtheir dry weight maxima. The ear was the major sink for phosphorusand it was estimated that approximately one third of its phosphoruscontent was supplied by retranslocation. The main shoot stemand leaves also showed a significant decline in d. wt duringthe final stages of grain development. Half-ear removal at anthesisincreased both grain set and the growth of the grain of theupper florets of the remaining spikelets. Defoliation had littleeffect on grain yield but resulted in a reduction in the phosphoruscontent of the grain. Triticum aestivum L, spring wheat, phosphorus distribution, dry matter distribution     

Some Effects of Potassium and Magnesium on the Growth of Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum)

Subterranean clover plants (Trifolium subterraneum L., cv. Mt.Barker) were grown in culture solutions at optimum nutrientlevels and on the 23rd day after sowing transferred to solutionswithout magnesium or potassium. A third group remained at thesame nutrient levels as before (controls). Magnesium deficiency caused a particularly rapid decline inroot growth, followed later by a net loss of root dry matter.This, and the fact that leaf expansion declined relatively morethan the increase in laminae dry matter, resulted in an accumulationof assimilates per unit leaf area. Transfer of magnesium-deficientplants to complete solutions on day 35 caused a preferentialdistribution of dry matter to the roots, then to petioles andrelatively less to the laminae. These changes caused a pronouncedfall in the root: shoot ratio as the deficiency became moresevere and a rise in the ratio during recovery. Plants in solutions without potassium showed no marked shiftsin dry matter distribution between plant parts. The root: shootratio remained close to that for control plants, except duringthe recovery, when there was a decrease in the ratio. Net rates of CO₂ uptake by laminae from potassium-deficientplants showed little change during the first 10 days of thedeficiency although values were somewhat lower than those forcorresponding control laminae. After transfer to complete solutionsthere was a marked response in photosynthesis, rising to a finalvalue close to that for control laminae. Laminae of plants placedin solutions without magnesium showed a rapid decline in photosynthesisonly 4 days later; there was little response when plants weretransferred to complete solutions a week later. Trifolium subterraneum L., subterranean clover, growth, root: shoot ratio, potassium deficiency, magnesium deficiencies     

Microclimate, Photosynthesis and Growth of Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). II. Canopy Structure and Growth

The growth of lucerne var. Europe was examined in the fieldduring 1976. The annual dry matter production of unirrigatedlucerne during 1976, with no nitrogen fertilizer application,was 82.5 per cent greater than unirrigated S.24 perennial ryegrass,with a nitrogen application of 384 kg ha^–1. The mean aboveground growth rate of lucerne was 7.3 g DM m^–2 day^–1between March and early June, of which stem material contributeda maximum of 76.5 per cent. Significant losses of leaves andstems occurred from the end of April, indicating a loss of potentialforage material. Nitrogen analyses of the above ground crop suggested that in56 days lucerne yielded 10.7 per cent more nitrogen than didS.24 annually with a nitrogen fertilizer addition of 280 kgha^–1. Between 13 and 57 per cent of the daily photosynthate is translocatedbelow ground. Medicago sativaL, lucerne, dry matter production, canopy structure, nitrogen analyses     

Studies in the Nutrition of Apple Rootstocks: II. Effects of Concentration of Iron in the Nutrient Solution on Growth and Chlorophyll Content

Rooted one-year shoots were grown for one season by sprayingtheir roots with nutrient solution. Iron supplied as Fe-EDTAat four concentrations resulted in plants which were respectively(a) severely chlorotic, (b) mildly chlorotic, (c) dark greenand healthy (controls), and (d) dark green but with slight reductionin growth. Severely deficient plants showed 40–70 per cent reductionsin growth as measured by fresh weight, shoot length, diameterincrease, leaf area, net assimilation and relative growth-rates.Dry weights were reduced 70–80 per cent and of the totaldry-weight increment a greater proportion remained in the leaves,which had a lower dry weight and higher water content per unitarea. However, because the initial old stem formed a greaterproportion of the total dry weight, the leaf area ratio remainedabout 11 per cent lower than in the controls. Severely deficientplants had, per unit of chlorophyll, a higher dry-weight increaseand net assimilation rate than the controls. Mild deficiency caused 10–20 per cent reductions in growthand net assimilation rate; the leaf area ratio was normal. Possible mechanisms of the effects of low iron supply are discussed,while the small growth reduction at the highest Fe-EDTA concentrationis attributed to chelate toxicity     

The Influence of Moisture Stress on Liriodendron tulipifera L. Seedlings

A comparison of yellow poplar seedlings subjected to availablemoisture ranging from 100 per cent to 20 per cent of field capacityin two separate experiments (a soil study and a solution study)indicated that total dry matter production, stem height, totalleaf area and area of individual leaves, decreased with increasedmoisture stress. Differences in unit leaf rate (ULR) were primarilyresponsible for final plant size. Leaf area: weight ratio wasaffected by the method of induced stress. As stress increasedthe ratio increased in the soil study but decreased in the solutionstudy. The number of leaves produced was unaffected by stress,except at the most severe stresses. The number of senescentleaves increased as moisture stress increased. The allocationof new growth was unaffected by either moisture stress or timeand decreased in order of root, foliage, stem for the soil grownplants and foliage, root, stem for the solution grown plants.ULR and relative growth rate (RGR) were reduced by both moisturestress and time. A growth simulation of the soil-grown plantsbased on results from the solution moisture stress experimentpredicted the final plant dry weight within 12 per cent andleaf area within 7 per cent of the actual values.     

Contributions to Grain Yield from Pre-anthesis Assimilation in Tall and Dwarf Barley Phenotypes in Two Contrasting Seasons

Twenty-four barley genotypes were produced from crosses betweentwo sets of parents each having a different, non-allelic dwarfinggene. Four genotypes were phenotypically tall, twelve were singledwarf and eight were double dwarf. By a combination of carbon-14labelling and growth measurement the contribution to grain drymatter from assimilation before anthesis was estimated for eachgenotype in two years, 1976 and 1977. Pre-anthesis assimilation was estimated to have contributed44 per cent of grain dry matter in 1976, a very dry, hot year,but only 11 per cent in 1977, a wetter, cooler year. These percentageswere equivalent to about 133 and 74 g m^–2 in 1976 and1977. It is shown that some previous estimates of the contributionfrom pre-anthesis assimilation are too low for crops of barleygrown in the field in dry years, while in wet years, the contributionis unlikely to be less than 10 per cent. In neither year did the genotypes differ in the extent to whichpre-anthesis assimilation contributed to grain filling. In bothyears, grain yields of the tall genotypes were 8–9 percent greater than those of the double dwarf ones, and stem weightsat maturity 30 per cent greater. Hordeum vulgare L., barley, grain yield, carbon assimilation     

Contribution to the study of heterogeneity in the leaves of a spring wheat plant

The effect of the individual leaf blades of spring wheat on the dry matter of stalks, chaff and grain (caryopses), of spikes and total overground part, was studied. In the experimental plants the individual leaf blades were detached according to the scheme given, at the beginning of shooting, (A), at the beginning of earing (B), and at the beginning of flowering (C). The dry matter (fresh weight) of the stalk was least decreased if either the lowest or the uppermost leaf blade was severed during the developmental phase of shooting. The dry as well as the fresh weights of chaff were least affected in those plants where the leaf blade was removed during the developmental phase of flowering. Both the dry and fresh weights of caryopses were least decreased if either the lowest or the uppermost leaf blade was removed during the developmental phase of flowering. The dry weight as well as the relative water content of chaff and ear grains were most decreased following removal of leaf blades during the developmental phase of shooting. The relative water content of chaff, grains and ears was most decreased following removal of developed leaf blades during the developmental phase of earing. It was confirmed that in addition to the photosynthetic activity of leaves the photosynthesis of other parts of the stem system (stalk internodes, ear awns etc.) participated in the production of total dry matter of experimental plants. The photosynthetic activity of leaf blades was particularly high up to the earing phase, while subsequently the photosynthesis of extrafoliar area (stalk internodes and ears) predominated. In spite of this, participation of the total leaf area is very high in the formation of grain dry matter (over 50%), as well as of the total dry matter of plant (over 80%).     

Effect of partial defoliation during the vegetative phase on subsequent growth and grain yield of maize

Maize was grown in two densities, 2–47 or 4–94 plants m^-2, and the following treatments imposed: untreated, plants partly defoliated 51 days after sowing, and alternate plants in a row partly defoliated 44 days after sowing. Plants flowered about 82 days after sowing. Leaf area was decreased by 60–64% by defoliation on day 51. Defoliation resulted in decreases in grain yield and grain number of 6–17%, though when alternate plants were defoliated in the higher density there was a substantial decrease in yield and number of grains in defoliated plants, which was largely offset by an increase in adjacent intact plants. When plants were defoliated on day 51 subsequent growth in leaf area was similar to, and that in leaf weight nearly as large as that in untreated plants, while increase in stem weight was substantially less than in untreated plants. By the time of flowering untreated and defoliated plots differed by c. 30% in leaf area. Increments of dry matter after flowering differed by c. 15% between untreated and defoliated plots. The fraction of these increments which entered the grain was c. 90% in both untreated and defoliated plots. When alternate plants in the row were partly defoliated on day 44 their subsequent increase in leaf area was probably 5–16% less than that of the adjacent intact plants. Increments of dry matter after flowering of plots with alternate plants defoliated were 93–95 % of those of untreated plots; leaf efficiency after flowering was slightly greater than in untreated plots. The fraction of the dry matter increment after flowering which entered the grain was c. 88 % in both intact and defoliated plants of the small density, but was 94% in intact plants and 86% in defoliated plants of the large density.     

Seasonal growth of tree lupins (Lupinus arboreus) and the effect of defoliation on leaf production

The growth of tree lupins was investigated in two experiments. In the first, two ages of plant, 4-wk-old seedlings and 1-year-old plants, were transplanted into a ryegrass sward in an upland environment. Growth, in terms of leaf production, branching and stem elongation, was measured over two successive growing seasons. Plant dry matter and nutrient contents were determined at the beginning and end of each growing season. In the first summer, the rate of production of new leaves on the main stem of seedling plants averaged 1.8 leaves per wk and main stem length increased from 5 to 67 cm. On older plants, where floral apices had been initiated on main and primary stems, there was a 3–10 fold increase in secondary branch length. In the second season, there was no effect of plant age on rates of leaf appearance or stem extension; dry matter production was higher than in the first season. In the second experiment, the effect of removal of 0%, 50% or 100% of fully expanded leaves on the subsequent growth of 23-wk-old plants was investigated. During the 7-wk growth period, defoliation promoted the rate of production of mature leaves, and area and dry weight of new laminae were slightly higher in defoliated plants. Defoliation did not affect the concentrations of N, P or K in the new laminae, but P and K concentrations in petioles of defoliated plants were significantly higher than those in intact plants. The results from the experiments are discussed in relation to the potential use of tree lupins as nurse species and biomass crops in hill and upland environments of the UK.     

Some effects of Plasmodiophora brassicae Woron. on the growth of the young cabbage plant

When clubroot galls developed on cabbage inoculated with Plasmodiophorabrassicae Woron., the distribution of dry matter in the plantwas altered. As soon as clubbed roots were visible the stem:root ratio diminished with time until the clubs rotted. Afterclubs appeared the increase in root weight was nearly all fromgrowth of the clubroot gall and the rate of growth of tops correspondinglydiminished. Succulence of the shoot, water content per unitdry weight, was unaffected. Increase in total leaf area closely paralleled that of totaldry weight. It was slower in diseased plants and attained alower limit than in healthy ones. From the 35 th day after inoculation,onwards, diseased plants had fewer and smaller leaves and theirleaves opened more slowly, one new leaf unfolding every 9 dayson diseased plants against one every 4 days on healthy plants.Leaves of diseased plants were both smaller and thinner thanthose in corresponding positions on healthy plants. The relationship between the absorbing system on the one hand,and the assimilating and transpiring system on the other, wasgreatly altered; the dry weight of fibrous root per unit leafarea was decreased after infection from 1.20 to 0.79 mg./cm.²20 days after inoculation and from 1.64 to 0.38 mg./cm.² 82days after inoculation. Though infection consistently lowered net assimilation rate,on the average by about 15 per cent, of the control value, thisdecrease was never statistically significant. Increases in the number of spores in the inoculum progressivelydecreased the dry weights of tops and fibrous roots, and sometimesincreased the dry weight of clubs. Delaying inoculation increased the initial growth rate of thegalls, and sometimes their final size. The extent to which plantswere damaged depended more on how long they had been infectedthan on age at inoculation.