Effects of induction treatments on flowering in Populus deltoides.
Stimulation of early flowering is required to shorten breeding cycles of eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. var. deltoides), a commercially important and fast-growing hardwood species. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the influence of various treatments on flowering in rooted cuttings from mature and juvenile trees. A combined treatment of water stress, root pruning and paclobutrazol was applied to 3-month-old rooted cuttings from mature trees. These cuttings had been subjected to root restriction and long days. All treated plants flowered, whereas no untreated plants formed flower buds. One-year-old rooted cuttings from juvenile trees did not flower when treated with either paclobutrazol, paclobutrazol plus water stress, paclobutrazol plus root pruning, or paclobutrazol plus girdling. This was true both under continuous or periodic growth. Assessment of the lack of flowering in juvenile trees may require an integrated approach that investigates environmental or physiological stimuli, assimilate shift, gibberellic acid type and concentration, and flowering-time gene activity in the new shoots of mature and juvenile cottonwood trees.
Yuceer
Cetin
C
Department of Forestry, Mississippi State University, Box 9681, 39762, USA.
Kubiske
Mark E
ME
Harkess
Richard L
RL
Land
Samuel B
SB
D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology*; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000502:physiology; D032107:Populus / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology*; D014230:Triazoles / Q000494:pharmacology
D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D014230:Triazoles; C053370:paclobutrazol