Epicormics in 13-year-old Quercus petraea: small effect of provenance and large influence of branches and growth unit limits

? The provenance effect on epicormics is poorly documented and restricted to epicormic shoots. Our objective was to characterize the relationship between epicormics and provenance on 13-year-old Quercus petraea trees, taking into account their growth traits.

? On the growth units (GU) studied, epicormics were essentially isolated buds (95%) and they were mainly located at branch bases, secondarily on GU limits and marginally on lateral position. Provenance effect was very small on the number of epicormics and slightly larger on the number of branches and GU limits. On the contrary, the growth situation-independently from provenance-proved to have a larger effect on the 2 latter growth traits.

? Altogether, these results clearly show the predominant effect of morphological traits and thus of ontogeny. This opens important research perspectives: how growth conditions and genetics (at progeny and individual levels) influence height growth, setting and fate of axillary buds on the one hand and fate of epicormic buds inserted directly on the stem, or at branch bases on the other hand.

     

The Physiology of Epicormic Bud Emergence in Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.) Responses to Partial Notch Girdling in Thinned and Unthinned Stands

The physiology of epicormic bud development in Quercus roburwas studied by recording the effect of partial notch girdlesapplied at different dates, in the spring and summer of 1985,on epicormic shoot emergence in stands of thinned and unthinnedtrees. The girdles were applied singly or in tandem pairs oneabove the other. In one experiment they were applied in combinationwith the synthetic auxin 1-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or werereplaced by treatment with 2, 3, 5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA),an inhibitor of auxin transport. Thinning had no consistent effect on the numbers of epicormicshoots emerging, only on their later vigour, and did not consistentlyaffect the response to girdling or the growth regulator treatments.Epicormic shoot emergence was stimulated only by girdling treatmentsapplied in April and May, and not in June or August, indicatingthat the epicormic buds enter dormancy early in the season.The pattern of responses to the single and tandem girdles wasconsistent with a suppression of the buds in the spring by abasipetally-transported inhibitor, from the inhibitory effectof NAA observed, probably auxin. The development of the budswas not controlled by an acropetafly-transported promoter whosesupply could be interrupted by the girdling treatments.     

The Effects of Stand Thinning and Artificial Shading on Epicormic Bud Emergence in Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.)

Although previous studies have shown stand thinning increasesoak wood quality defects due to epicormic branch development,thinning failed in experiments at three different sites to stimulateepicormic bud emergence or later growth in either the first,second or third years. This was in spite of much higher irradiancesbeneath the thinned canopies, which transmitted 73 percent morelight than the unthinned stand during the summer months. Irradiancesbeneath the thinned stands were increased by only 13 percentin the period during the spring when the epicormic shoots emergedfrom the bole of the trees, preceding expansion of the leafcanopy. When, using artificial shading, the intensity of lightincident on the bole of trees in a thinned stand was reducedby 80 percent, without affecting bark tempertures, the numbersof epicormic shoots which emerged was similar to that on unshadedtrees. Epicormic shoot emergence from the boles of thinned treeswas completely prevented by excluding light from the bole withaluminium foil, which also reduced bark temperatures. When thefoil was substituted by black polythene, which raised bark temperatures,the inhibition of epicormic shoot emergence was only 88 percent. These results indicate that epicormic shoot emergence is notstimulated by increased exposure of the epicormic buds to lightin thinned stands, and that light is not normally a major factorcontrolling epicormic bud emergence. The decrease in wood qualityassociated with epicormic shoots produced by thinned standsappears on this evidence to be the result of a long term promotionof epicormic branch growth and longevity. Thinning in July,rather than during the winter months, inhibited epicormic shootemergence the next spring.     

Tissue culture responses of explants taken from branch sources with different degrees of juvenility in mature black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees

We studied the in vitro responses of cambial tissue and dormant vegetative buds obtained from top and epicormic branches of three mature black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) trees. Cambial tissues isolated from epicormic branches produced more callus than cambial tissues isolated from top branches, whereas in vitro shoot cultures derived from buds excised from top branches grew faster than those derived from buds excised from epicormic branches. There were no significant differences between the two branch sources in in vitro bud break or shoot multiplication from bud explants or cambial-derived callus tissue, respectively. Furthermore, the top branches, generally considered to be the most mature in a tree, were not recalcitrant in terms of morphogenic capacity compared to epicormic branches.     

Effect of GA(4 + 7) on the initiation and development of the inflorescence bud of evergreen azalea

Apical buds of evergreen azalea (Rhododendron sp.) were treated with GA(4 + 7) at different stages of development. Treatment of vegetative buds stimulated shoot growth, slightly delayed both flower initiation and development, but increased the number of flower primordia. Treatment at the time of floral transition induced bud abortion at an early stage of the reproductive development. Treatment of inflorescence buds which contained at least one complete flower substituted for chilling in overcoming dormancy and prevented inflorescence bud abortion.     

Does past emergence of epicormic shoots control current composition of epicormic types?

• Context  

While past studies on epicormics in oak (Quercus sp.) have focused on the effect of thinning on epicormic shoots emergence, the consequences of this emergence on the epicormic ontogeny and future wood quality have rarely been asked.     

Relationships among cold hardiness, root growth potential and bud dormancy in three conifers

Greenhouse-cultured, container-grown ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum Engelm.), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii (Parry) Engelm.) were cold acclimated and deacclimated in growth chambers over 19 weeks. Stem cold hardiness, total new root length at 14 days and days to bud break were measured weekly. Relationships among cold hardiness, root growth potential (RGP) and bud dormancy suggest that cold hardiness, which can be measured quickly, could provide a useful basis for estimating the two other parameters. During cold acclimation, there was a lag period in which stem cold hardiness remained at -15 degrees C and RGP was at a minimum, in all three species. Douglas-fir and Engelmann spruce buds remained fully dormant during this lag period. Ponderosa pine buds had no chilling requirement for the loss of dormancy, and reached quiescence during the lag period. Immediately following the lag period, as stem cold hardiness progressed to -22 degrees C, RGP increased to a high plateau in all three species, and Douglas-fir and Engelmann spruce buds approached quiescence. Cold deacclimation and bud development began immediately on exposure to warm, long days, but RGP remained high until stem cold hardiness returned to approximately -15 degrees C. At bud break, cold hardiness and RGP were at the minimum.     

Participation of ascorbic acid in the dormancy establishment of poplar lateral branch buds

This work studied the participation of ascorbic acid (AA) in the dormancy establishment of apical buds of poplar (Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marshall cv. Catfish 2) lateral branches. AA content was highest during the active growth period and decreased to the lowest content during bud dormancy. The accumulation of the oxidised form, dehydroascorbate, was similar in either growth or dormant bud stages. The supplementation of buds with AA at the end of the summer delayed bud set. Similarly, the supplementation of buds with gibberellic acid extended the growth period and kept a high AA content in the apoplast. These results suggest that a decrease in the accumulation of reduced AA might be needed for the dormancy establishment in apical buds of poplar lateral branches.     

Hormonal control of second flushing in Douglas-fir shoots

Spring-flushing, over-wintered buds of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) produce new buds that may follow various developmental pathways. These include second flushing in early summer or dormancy before flushing during the following spring. Second flushing usually entails an initial release of apical dominance as some of the current-season upper lateral buds grow out. Four hypotheses concerning control of current bud outgrowth in spring-flushing shoots were tested: (1) apically derived auxin in the terminal spring-flushing shoot suppresses lateral bud outgrowth (second flushing); (2) cytokinin (0.5 mM benzyladenine) spray treatments given midway through the spring flush period induce bud formation; (3) similar cytokinin spray treatments induce the outgrowth of existing current lateral buds; and (4) defoliation of the terminal spring-flushing shoot promotes second flushing. Hypothesis 1 was supported by data demonstrating that decapitation-released apical dominance was completely restored by treatment with exogenous auxin (22.5 or 45 mM naphthalene acetic acid) (Thimann-Skoog test). Hypothesis 2 was marginally supported by a small, but significant increase in bud number; and Hypothesis 3 was strongly supported by a large increase in the number of outgrowing buds following cytokinin applications. Defoliation produced similar results to cytokinin application. We conclude that auxin and cytokinin play important repressive and promotive roles, respectively, in the control of second flushing in the terminal spring-flushing Douglas-fir shoot.     

Preformation in vegetative buds of Prunus persica: factors influencing number of leaf primordia in overwintering buds

We investigated the influence of bud position, cultivar, tree age, tree carbohydrate status, sampling date, drought and light exposure on the number of leaf primordia formed in dormant vegetative peach buds (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) relative to the number of primordia formed after bud break (neoformed). During winter dormancy, vegetative peach buds from California and Italy were dissected and the number of leaf primordia recorded. Between leaf drop and bud break, the number of leaf primordia doubled from about five to about 10. Parent shoot length, number of nodes on the parent shoot, cross-sectional area of the parent shoot, bud position along the parent shoot and bud cross-sectional area were correlated with the number of leaf primordia. Previous season light exposure, drought and tree carbohydrate status did not affect the number of leaf primordia present. The number of leaf primordia differed significantly among peach varieties and tree ages at leaf drop, but not at bud break. Our results indicate that neoformation accounted for all shoot growth beyond about 10 nodes. The predominance of neoformed shoot growth in peach allows this species great plasticity in its response to current-season conditions.     

Influence of temperature on the dynamics of ATP,ADP and non-adenylic triphosphate nucleotides in vegetative and floral peach buds during dormancy

The nucleotides test of endodormancy, which is based on the capacity of tissues to synthesize ATP and non-adenylic triphosphate nucleotides (NTP), cannot be used for floral buds, and it is of questionable use for vegetative buds. In an attempt to find an alternative test, we examined whether the dormancy state of vegetative and floral buds of trees exposed to different temperature conditions during the rest period is directly related to their ATP, ADP and NTP concentrations and ATP/ADP ratio. Once the buds had entered endo- or paradormancy, the nucleotide concentrations and the ATP/ADP ratio were low in the vegetative primordia and very low in the floral primordia. Only after the action of chilling, when the buds were considered to have completed the endodormancy and paradormancy phases, did the nucleotide concentrations increase, accompanied by a steep rise in ATP/ADP ratio. We conclude that the ATP/ADP ratio could be used to characterize the bud dormancy state by comparison with critical values of 1.5 for vegetative primordia and 1.0 for floral primordia.     

The minimum temperature for budburst in Betula depends on the state of dormancy

Vegis has put forward the theory that the range of growth-promoting temperatures changes during the induction and the release of dormancy. We have tested the response of buds of Betula pubescens Ehrh. and B. pendula Roth. on temperature during the induction and release of dormancy. Betula seedlings were exposed to dormancy-inducing high-temperature and short-day conditions and subsequently to dormancy-releasing chilling conditions in darkness. To monitor the dormancy status of the seedlings, subsets of them were transferred to five forcing temperatures and their budburst was observed. The results show that the expression of dormancy was temperature dependent, so that the minimum temperature for 100% budburst rose during the induction and dropped during the release of dormancy. These responses may explain previous contradictions between experimental and modelling studies, but that needs to be verified with more extensive experiments, some of which are identified in this study. The results provide further evidence for the concept of gradual change in bud dormancy. They also suggest that global change studies modelling budburst phenology should address the changing expression of bud dormancy.     

修剪和生长调节剂对青海云杉苗芽生长发育的影响

对5年生和7年生青海云杉苗进行了不同方式的修剪,同时用不同的生长调节剂对其主干和侧枝上的芽进行了处理,发现除去青海云杉顶芽,能够促进苗木侧芽和隐芽的生长发育,提高侧芽的抽枝率,增加新枝的生长量.不同种类的生长调节剂和修剪方式对青海云杉芽的生长发育影响效果显著不同,去顶芽修剪的效果优于纺锤形修剪和篱式修剪,对于7年生苗,主干上仅留3个饱满芽的强度修剪能明显地减少主干上的芽数,使抽枝数也随之减少,处理效果最差.去顶芽能够明显的增加当年新梢数量和长于6 cm的新梢总长度,同时还能增加当年新梢上冬芽数.6BA对青海云杉芽和枝条的生长发育有较好的促进作用,抽枝宝在各个修剪处理中表现均最差,甚至在一定程度上抑制了青海云杉芽的萌发和延长生长.修剪和生长调节剂处理对5年生苗侧枝芽抽枝数影响均极显著,而对7年生苗的影响却不显著;修剪和生长调节剂的交互作用明显地影响了对7年生苗的处理效果,而对5年生苗的影响不显著.去顶芽后再用6BA涂抹青海云杉苗上的保留芽,能有效地促进青海云杉保留芽的生长发育,有利于形成更多枝条,对青海云杉采穗圃苗的处理效果最佳,强度修剪和用抽枝宝抹芽不适于青海云杉采穗圃苗的培育.     

Seasonal changes in intensity of bud dormancy in loblolly pine seedlings

The terminal buds of six-month-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings remained closed for approximately six months, although bud dormancy, as measured by rate of bud break in a standard greenhouse environment, was only exhibited for about one month. The peak of bud dormancy was in December for seedlings grown near Auburn, Alabama. However, the timing and intensity varied with seed source and may have been affected by the warm fall temperatures. Seedlings from the more northern provenances entered dormancy first and reached a deeper state of dormancy than seedlings from southern provenances. The rate of shoot elongation was not consistently related to the rate of bud break.     

Seasonal variations in location and population structure of endophytes in buds of Scots pine

We studied the location and distribution of a bacterial isolate, a Mycobacterium sp., in buds of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Using a probe specific for the 16S rRNA of the Mycobacterium sp., the bacterium was found by in situ hybridization in the meristematic tissues of 40% of all bud samples examined. Because we had previously found other bacterial and fungal endophytes in the meristematic tissues of Scots pine buds, we studied their occurrence in buds during shoot development and dormancy. Using probes targeted to the 16S or 18S rRNA of the endophytes Mycobacterium sp., Methylobacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Rhodotorula minuta, endophytes were found in association with growing tissues, with Methylobacterium spp. being the dominant species. Endophytes were detected in abundance before elongation or differentiation of a bud, but once a tissue was fully developed, endophytes were no longer detected. Metabolic activity of the endophytes was suppressed at the onset of, and during, dormancy of Scots pine, but recovered before the following growing season.     

Terminal bud failure of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) exposed to salt-laden winter storms

At coastal sites, trees are exposed to marine aerosols that may cause foliar necrosis and shoot dieback, which can result in deformed crowns and contorted stems. A six-year study of leaf primordia in terminal buds of black cottonwood trees (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) on Heimaey Island off the south coast of Iceland was undertaken to elucidate the physiological events associated with salt-deposition-related bud failure. Leaf and bud lengths, dry mass, water content and chloride concentrations were monitored and related to four phenological stages: (1) bud set; (2) dormancy induction; (3) dormancy release; and (4) bud break. The trees set buds in July and shed their leaves by late September. Leaf primordia generally stopped growing by September 10 +/- 22 days and attained midwinter water content in late September. Leaf growth commenced in the terminal buds by March 2 +/- 16 days, but mean dates of bud swelling and bud break were April 29 +/- 19 and May 10 +/- 12 days. In summer and until November, chloride concentrations in leaf primordia were low, but increasing. Chloride concentrations remained stable from December to February, even though the dormant trees were exposed to large amounts of marine aerosols. In February and March, three events occurred more or less simultaneously: (1) leaf extension growth commenced; (2) chloride concentration surged in the leaf primordia; and (3) the leaf primordia began to hydrate. Following dormancy release, growth and hydration of leaf primordia were negatively related to chloride concentration in the leaf primordia, with inhibition of leaf growth, tissue hydration and chloride acquisition occurring at a chloride concentration threshold estimated at 7.3 mg Cl- g(-1) tissue water. Necrosis of leaf primordia was observed above 14 mg Cl- g(-1) tissue water. Growth and hydration of leaves at bud break in mid-May was explained by a three-parameter logistic model of chloride concentration in leaf primordia at the end of March. By mid-May, 90% of all buds remained non-necrotic, but only 56% the terminal buds had broken. Salt alone explained the observed growth suppression of leaf primordia in the buds and the resultant failure of terminal buds to break by mid-May.     

1年生泡桐不同部位顶芽内源激素的动态变化

在河南省郑州市以1年生毛白33泡桐为试验材料,利用间接酶联免疫吸附测定法(ELISA)测定梢枝顶芽、上部侧枝、中部侧枝和下部侧枝的顶芽内源激素含量动态变化。结果表明:1)梢枝顶芽、上部侧枝顶芽、中部侧枝顶芽及下部侧枝顶芽IAA的变化趋势一致,变化趋势为"降低-升高-降低",只是上部侧枝顶芽IAA升高后降低的趋势可能会推迟;2)梢枝顶芽、上部侧枝顶芽和下部侧枝顶芽GA3含量变化趋势基本相同,均呈现出"上升-下降-上升-下降"的"双峰"形;而中部侧枝顶芽GA3含量呈现出"下降-上升-下降"的趋势;3)不同部位顶芽ABA含量均是先升高,之后下降,最后在较低水平上趋于稳定状态;4)泡桐不同部位顶芽ZR含量随时间的变化呈现出不同趋势,但总体呈下降趋势,且不同部位顶芽间存在着竞争关系及抑制作用;5)8月15日—9月15日,IAA,GA3,ZR,ABA及(IAA+GA3+ZR)/ABA比值均呈下降趋势,表明促进生长类激素与导入休眠类激素均较低,泡桐顶芽和其他邻近组织相比其竞争优势在逐渐丧失,内源激素的动态平衡被打破。本研究结果初步探明顶芽死亡与内源激素的关联性,为进一步探讨泡桐死亡机理奠定基础。     

刻芽与扭枝对梨不同优系成枝力和成花数的影响

研究刻芽和扭枝对梨不同优系幼树成枝力和成花数的影响,为实现其早果、丰产和省力化栽培提供理论依据。研究方法上采用以6个2年生不同优系为试材,于早春对其主干进行刻芽处理,并对当年发生的侧枝在半木质化时从基部进行扭枝处理,调查统计刻芽后幼树成枝力和扭枝后树体生长和成花状况。研究结果表明,刻芽后,6个优系发枝量分别比对照样本增加了225%、116%、160%、122%、136%、150%,处理样本与对照样本之间差异显著。扭枝对6个优系树高、枝长的影响未达显著性差异,但6个优系均比对照样本的花芽量多,相对而言,杂交优系Ⅳ、Ⅴ、Ⅵ成花量少,平均每株有花芽2个,处理样本与对照样本之间差异显著,花芽量分别是对照样本的7.0倍、1.6倍、4.0倍;杂交优系Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ的花芽量多,平均每株有花芽4.4个,处理样本与对照样本之间差异不显著。综上所述,刻芽能显著地提高梨幼树成枝力,西洋梨×东方梨比东方梨×东方梨杂交优系的成枝力高;扭枝对梨幼树的生长发育影响小,但能提高幼树的成花数,尤其对不易成花的含有西洋梨基因的优系效果更加显著。