Influence of soil fertilization, plant spacing, and cokppicing on growth, stomatal conductance, abscisic acid, and camptothecin levels in Camptotheca acuminata seedlings |
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| Authors: | Zhijun Liu John C Adams H P Viator Roysell J Constantin Stanley B Carpenter |
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| Institution: | School of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA; School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71270, USA; Iberia Research Station, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Jeanerette, LA 70544, USA; Hammond/Citrus Research Stations, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Hammond, LA 70403, USA |
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| Abstract: | Changes in amount of the plant alkaloid, camptothecin (CPT), were investigated in field-grown Camptotheca acuminata seedlings in response to fertilization, variation in plant density, and cokppicing. The relationship between CPT and growth, and abscisic acid (ABA) levels were also examined. Fertilization caused positive responses in growth of both the slow- and the fast-growing C. acuminata plants. It lowered stomatal conductance ( g ), reduced leaf CPT level in slow-growing but not fast-growing seedlings in mid-summer (July), and increased leaf ABA level in dense plantings in early fall (September). Shoots induced to develop as a result of cokppicing were significantly higher in leaf CPT level than the original non-cokppiced shoots. These results suggest that in the C. acuminata plantation management, cokppicing should be employed to produce high concentrations of CPT, but that soil fertilization should be used cautiously so that greater growth is not achieved at the cost of lower CPT biosynthesis. |
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