The modular character of growth in Nicotiana tabacum plants under steady-state nutrition

The impact of different plant growth rates on biomass allocation and growth distribution in tobacco was studied on the whole plant, total leaf area and single leaf level. On the whole plant level, constant relationships were found between the total leaf area and the biomass allocation to leaves and the nonphotosynthetic organs (roots and stem) independent from the overall growth rate and the nutrient addition rate to the plants. On the level of total leaf area, plants grown at lower nutrient supply reached a distinct distribution of leaf area later than those grown at higher nutrient supply, but the normalized distribution of leaf area along the stem at a certain plant size did not differ between plants growing at different nutrient supply and growth rates. On the leaf blade level, growth rates declined, initially linearly, from the leaf base to the leaf tip. Distinct gradients within the side veins were not observed, but the growth rates of the side veins were closely correlated to the adjacent mid-vein segments. These gradients flattened with increasing size of the leaf. The modular character of growth in tobacco is discussed in the context of basic growth analysis and as a framework for physiological, cytological, biochemical, and molecular studies in growing plants.Key words: Nicotiana tabacum, whole plant, total leaf area, leaf growth, growth rate, biomass.