The effects of nutrient supply on flowering and seed production in Poa annua

The effect of nutrient concentration on the reproductive development and seed yield of Poa annua was examined in a sand culture experiment. The nutrient concentration during the initial vegetative stage did not affect the time taken for double ridge formation by the main shoot but did influence the subsequent development of the inflorescence as did the post-initiation level of nutrients. At low nutrient levels flowering was inhibited in some individuals but at the higher concentrations inflorescence emergence was hastened, inflorescence size was increased and, in particular, the number of spikelets and hence the number of seeds per inflorescence was greatly increased. The mean weight of 100 seeds was unaffected by the nutrient concentration. The number of reproductive tillers per plant was increased by high nutrient supply but the proportion of dry weight allocated to root development was reduced.