Apical dominance in mulberry (Morus alba): Effects of position of lateral and accessory buds and leaves

Abstract

Suzuki, T. 1990. Apical dominance in mulberry (Morus alba): Effects of position of lateral and accessory buds and leaves. – Physiol. Plant. 78: 468‐474.Removing apical portions of current growth coppice shoots from field‐grown, low‐pruned stumps of mulberry (Morus alba L. cv. Shin‐ichinose) caused sprouting of one or more upper main buds, almost concurrently with that of accessory buds. However, removal of the new sprouts, including those from accessory buds, slightly enhanced the sprouting of buds immediately below them, and did not affect buds lower down. In contrast, mature leaves inhibited the buds in their axils. Budless, leafy nodes on the upper part of pruned shoots tended to swell after treatment, perhaps due to the accumulation of substances translocated from the roots and possibly from the remaining leaves. Lateral buds at different positions along the shoot differed in their sprouting ability with buds lower on the shoot being more inhibited. This inhibition gradient dissappeared when all coppice shoots on one stump were pruned to the same bud position, suggesting inhibition from neighboring, actively growing shoots. These results demonstrate that acropetal influences are important in bud dominance relationships.