A study of the growth of axillary buds in angiosperms : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Botany at Massey University
Loading...
Date
1991
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
A description of the growth of axillary buds in the period before bud
break was made in a number of angiosperms. This entailed a study of the growth
of buds at representative locations in a plant as well as at different stages in the
plant's growth. A number of different patterns of axillary bud development were
found to exist. A way of assessing the significance of the differences between
patterns was found. This involved comparing the observations with the
theoretical possibilities which existed. A loose classification of the patterns was
then constructed using the theoretical possibilities as a basis. An analysis of the
data for each species was carried out to see if a cause for the cessation of bud
growth could be determined. This analysis pointed towards the existence, in a
large number of species, of a correlation between growth in an axillary bud and
growth in surrounding tissues, particularly the expanding subtending leaf. One
species - Salix fragilis - was chosen as the subject for a particularly detailed
analysis. A clear correlation was established between growth in an axillary bud
and growth in the stem in the immediate vicinity of the bud as well as in its
subtending leaf. A number of experiments aimed at finding out the nature of a
correlation between growth in an axillary bud and its subtending leaf were
carried out with this species. These demonstrated that removal of a subtending
leaf at an early stage in its growth had a significant depressing effect on axillary
bud growth. This depressing effect was most pronounced during the period of
most rapid growth in the axillary bud and its subtending leaf.
The data from the general survey of over thirty plant species and the
experiments with Salix jragilis seem to support the notion that the process of
axillary bud growth - as opposed to that of lateral shoot outgrowth from axillary
buds - is affected more by conditions within the growing stem than by influences
exerted by the stem apex.
Description
Keywords
Salix fragilis, Angiosperms, Axillary buds, Bud grwoth