ISHS Acta Horticulturae 296: Tropical Fruits, XXIII I.H.C.
REQUIREMENT FOR MATURE LEAVES DURING FLORAL INDUCTION AND FLORAL TRANSITION IN DEVELOPING SHOOTS OF MANGO. |
| Authors: | R. Nunez-Elisea, T.L. Davenport |
| Abstract:
Growth responses of deblossomed ‘Keitt’ mango (Mangifera indica L.) branches to defoliation and/or girdling were characterized to examine the role of leaves in flowering and the expression of a putative flowering stimulus. Apical panicles on branches consisting of up to 20 individual stems were removed to stimulate growth of axillary buds. Defoliated, girdled branches produced only vegetative shoots, whereas leafy, girdled branches produced panicles. Delaying defoliation of girdled branches increased flowering. The results suggest the action of a labile floral stimulus originating in mature leaves and translocating in the phloem. Non-girdled, defoliated branches produced a large proportion (65%) of "transition" shoots, i. e., structures that initiated as vegetative shoots and gradually converted to terminal inflorescences. It is speculated that this pattern of growth may have resulted from exposure of dividing cells to increasing levels of the stimulus, arriving from nearby mature leaves. The results support the early notion that in mango, bud initiation (cell division) and determination (commitment to vegetative or floral development) are independent events. | |
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