EFFECT OF THE PARENTAL NUTRIENT REGIME ON GROWTH OF THE PROGENY IN ABUTILON THEOPHRASTI (MALVACEAE)

Two genets of Abutilon theophrasti were clonally replicated and grown to maturity in a glasshouse at two levels of nutrient supply. The seeds produced were weighed and the resulting seedlings exposed to two nutrient levels during development. The progeny plants were harvested on three occasions, and leaf areas and dry weights of the different plant parts were determined. At the early stages of growth an increase in the maternal nutrient supply significantly increased seedling height, cotyledon area, and leaf areas, and seed weight had a significant effect on several traits. The maternal nutrient addition had no significant effect at a later stage of growth (35 d after sowing), but at 56 d after sowing it did affect offspring leaf areas and dry weights. Significant interaction terms indicate that the response to parental nutrient addition may depend both on genotype and on the nutrient status of the progeny. Different plant characters are differentially sensitive to maternal conditions and these may be expressed at different stages of development.