J. Kervella et al., GROWTH CONTEXT AND FATE OF AXILLARY MERISTEMS OF YOUNG PEACH-TREES - INFLUENCE OF PARENT SHOOT GROWTH-CHARACTERISTICS AND OF EMERGENCE DATE, Annals of botany, 76(6), 1995, pp. 559-567
The relationship between several growth components of a shoot and the
fates of the axillary meristems (developing in the axils of the leaves
) borne by that shoot were studied, on first-order shoots of young pea
ch trees. A comprehensive picture of those relationships was obtained
by a discriminant analysis. Shoot growth at meristem emergence date wa
s characterized by internode length, leaf-production rate and leaf-unf
olding, duration. All possible fates of axillary meristems at the end
of the growing season (i.e. blind nodes, single vegetative or flower b
ud; bud associations, sylleptic or proleptic shoots) were considered.
Shoot-elongation rate determined meristem fates quantitatively. The nu
mber of buds produced by a meristem increased when the shoot-elongatio
n rate increased. Qualitatively, the fate of axillary meristems was re
lated to the balance between shoot-growth components. If the subtendin
g leaf unfolded slowly, sylleptic or proleptic shoots were more likely
to develop than bud associations, for high shoot-elongation rates; an
d flower buds were more frequent than vegetative buds, for low shoot-e
longation rates. Compared to flower buds, blind nodes appeared for sim
ilar shoot-elongation rates but longer internodes and lower leaf-produ
ction rates. The emergence date slightly modified the relation between
shoot growth and axillary-meristem fates, but the main features held
true throughout the growing season. The relationships between shoot gr
owth and meristem fates may result from competitive interactions betwe
en the growing subtending leaf and the developing axillary meristem. G
rowing conditions might also influence both shoot growth and meristem
fates by favouring either cell enlargement or cell division. (C) 1995
Annals of Botany Company