Erratum

The number of nodes produced by a bud meristem before differentiation into a flower is defined as its developmental potential. Decapitation, rooting, and grafting experiments were used to measure the developmental potential of the vegetative axillary bud meristems on Nicotiana tabacum. Decapitation experiments measure the in situ developmental potential while rooting and grafting experiments measure developmental potential in isolation and at a new location on the organism, respectively. A rooted or grafted bud exhibits one of two patterns of development: (1) It develops like an in situ bud or (2) It develops according to its new environment. For example, second axillary buds below the inflorescence produced 18.8 ± 0.8 nodes in situ, 17.9 ± 0.9 or 39.8 ± 1.1 nodes when rooted, and 22.2 ± 0.6 or 34.2 ± 0.7 nodes when grafted to the base of the plant. These results suggest that the buds which develop like in situ buds are developmentally determined while buds that develop according to their new environment are undetermined. On an individual plant, determined and undetermined buds are separated by one internode and only first, second, and third buds below the inflorescence exhibit determination.