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Increase in lodging safety factor of thigmomorphogenically dwarfed shoots of mulberry tree
Author(s) -
Tateno Masaki
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1991.tb02136.x
Subject(s) - shoot , cutting , horticulture , elongation , biology , botany , agronomy , materials science , metallurgy , ultimate tensile strength
The lodging safety factor of mechanically stimulated shoots of mulberry tree ( Morus bombycis Koidz. cv. Kenmochi) was measured to test the hypothesis that thigmomorphogenic dwarfing increases mechanical stability of plants. The lodging safety factor, an indicator of mechanical stability of erect shoots, has been defined as the ratio of critical lodging load to leaf fresh weight. Two‐year‐old shoot cuttings of mulberry tree were rubbed, brushed, and shaken every day. During the experimental period, the lodging safety factor of the control shoots remained at about 5. while the safety factor of the thigmomorphogenically dwarfed ones was ca 1.6 times larger, which supports the hypothesis. The mechanical stimulation reduced the stem elongation rate, but did not greatly change the partitioning of dry matter between leaves and stem. Therefore, it is concluded that the reduction of stem elongation rate was the main cause of the increase in the lodging safety factor of the stimulated shoots.