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The maryland mammoth allele reduces floral stimulus activity in stem piece explants of Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae)
Author(s) -
Smith Susan M. E.,
McDaniel Carl N.,
Hartnett Laura K.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.2307/2446276
Subject(s) - biology , axillary bud , botany , nicotiana tabacum , stimulus (psychology) , solanaceae , stem cell , explant culture , horticulture , genetics , gene , psychology , in vitro , psychotherapist
The response of axillary buds to floral stimulus activity in stem pieces was examined in two near‐isogenic cultivars of tobacco that differ in the recessive maryland mammoth ( mm ) allele, which confers short‐day behavior. All axillary buds from day‐neutral plants assayed on six‐internode stem pieces made few nodes (less than 20) before flowering, while axillary buds from plants homozygous for mm assayed on six‐internode stem pieces either did not flower in noninductive conditions or made many nodes before flowering in inductive conditions. About 80% of day‐neutral axillary buds grafted onto day‐neutral stem pieces did not respond to floral stimulus in stem pieces, indicating that the floral stimulus in stem pieces is ephemeral. In other graft combinations, the proportion of axillary buds that did respond to floral stimulus in stem pieces was substantially reduced from the 20% of day‐neutral buds on day‐neutral stem pieces that responded. These results indicate that the mm allele probably reduces both the amount of floral stimulus activity in stem pieces and the competence of axillary buds to respond.