Premium
THE EFFECTS OF 4‐CHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID ON THE RHIZOME OF PTERIDIUM AQUILINUM (L.) KUHN
Author(s) -
CONWAY E.,
FORREST J. D.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
weed research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-3180
pISSN - 0043-1737
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3180.1961.tb00013.x
Subject(s) - frond , rhizome , pteridium aquilinum , bracken , botany , horticulture , biology , fern
Summary. Tests have been carried out on the effects induced by the growth‐regulating compound 4‐chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4‐CPA) on the rhizome of Pteridium aquilinum when the compound is applied to the leaves of the plant. Experiments, made on unit plants grown from sporelings or fragments of mature rhizomes, and on stands of field bracken, showed that 4‐CPA in various formulations entered the tissues of the fronds easily and was readily translocated to the growing points of the rhizome branches. Epinasty, with hardening of the tissues of stem apices and frond buds, was seen after treatment with the chemical at low concentration; at higher concentrations, irregular growth led to splitting of the outer apical tissues and resultant rotting. Such harmful effects after treatment were seen to a high degree at the apices of stem branches bearing treated fronds. Lesser effects were seen on branches that were without expanded fronds at the time of treatment. In the field, time of application affected markedly the degree to which harmful effects were induced at the growing points. Spraying young fronds at herbicidal concentrations caused much scorching and early death, but the effects on the apices of the underground stem branches were relatively light. Spraying older fronds resulted in less obvious foliar effects, but damage caused to the rhizome was much greater. This may have been due to the young leaf tissues being killed before translocation had taken place. Surveys of untreated field bracken in the West of Scotland have shown that the matted underground stem contains a varying, mainly high, proportion of secondary branches with developing stem tips and frond buds not directly linked to an expanded frond, and that the frond population of a unit area docs not reflect the extent of the frond bud reserve. Since such secondary branches are those to which translocation appears to be restricted, they are likely to suffer only partial damage from chemical treatment of expanded fronds; and in the years following spraying, they may be expected to form frond populations relative to the extent of the frond bud reserve. Les effets de l'acide 4‐chlorophénoxyacétique sur le rhizome de Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn