Publication Date
1997
Description
Seedlings of Festuca pratensis Huds. (cv. Salten) were raised at three different light intensities (141, 85 or 28 (mol m-2s-1 ) for 7 weeks after emergence and then either left uncut or defoliated 40 or 80% of total leaf area, before transfer to primary induction (6°C, natural short days) for 12, 15 or 18 weeks. Percentage of heading plants was more affected by the duration of primary induction than by light intensity and defoliation prior to induction. The results lend no support to the existence of a juvenile stage in seedlings of Festuca pratensis. Defoliation had less influence on the number of panicles per plant than light intensity and, in particular, the duration of primary induction. An additional tagging experiment revealed that even some tillers developed after primary induction became reproductive.
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Effects of Light Intensity and Defoliation on the Receptiveness for Primary Induction in Festuca Pratensis Huds
Seedlings of Festuca pratensis Huds. (cv. Salten) were raised at three different light intensities (141, 85 or 28 (mol m-2s-1 ) for 7 weeks after emergence and then either left uncut or defoliated 40 or 80% of total leaf area, before transfer to primary induction (6°C, natural short days) for 12, 15 or 18 weeks. Percentage of heading plants was more affected by the duration of primary induction than by light intensity and defoliation prior to induction. The results lend no support to the existence of a juvenile stage in seedlings of Festuca pratensis. Defoliation had less influence on the number of panicles per plant than light intensity and, in particular, the duration of primary induction. An additional tagging experiment revealed that even some tillers developed after primary induction became reproductive.
