A model of the competitive relationships between R. cochinchinensis and Z. mays

An understanding of the competitive relationship between weed and crop can be used in assessing what physiological aspects of the association can be exploited in the control of the weed. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted with Z. mays L. and Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) W D Clayton using a modified replacement series model in which the overall weed crop density in each treatment was maintained as a constant, but the proportion of the two species varied. The results indicated that the crop had greater competitive ability (K_mr) than the weed even at increasing weed densities. Under field conditions, the values of the Plant Relative Yield (PRY) indicated that severe specific competition was occurring and suggested that some environmental factor was limiting, while the Relative Yield Total (RYT) suggest that either the crop and the weed were exploiting the resources in mutual antagonism or that allelopathy was occurring. The limiting environmental factor that both species exploited in mutual antagonism in the field was light under conditions of adequate soil moisture and nutrients.     

14C Fixation and Translocation in two Clones of Sugarcane with Contrasting Rates of Sucrose Uptake in vitro

The rates of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation and translocation of ¹⁴C labelledassimilates were measured in field experiments at two timesof the day in two sugar-cane clones known to have differentrates of sucrose uptake in vitro but the same weight of leafper unit weight of cane. The rate of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation and the velocity and rate of translocationwere significantly greater at both times in the clone with thehigher rate of sucrose uptake in vitro. The velocities of translocationwere 2.18 and 2.36 cm/min^–1 for the clone with high sucroseuptake and 1.46 cm min^–1 at both times in the clone withlow uptake. It is suggested that among sugar-cane clones the ability oftheir canes to store sugar may play a part in determining theirrates of photosynthesis and translocation.     

The Anatomy of the Storage Tissue of Sugar-cane in Relation to Sugar Uptake

The anatomy was studied of the sugar-storing tissue of ninesugar-cane clones known to differ in their rates of sucroseuptake in vitro. Clones having a high rate of sucrose uptaketended to have smaller cells, thicker cell walls and more vascularbundles than clones having lower rates of sucrose uptake andthese differences in anatomy resulted in the high uptake cloneshaving storage tissue with a higher percentage of fibre thanthat of the low uptake clones. The findings are discussed inrelation to known associations between sugars and fibre andbetween sugars and the ratio of leaf weight to weight of nodeplus internode.