Clonal Variation in the Sprouting Pattern of the Tubers in Eleocharis kuroguwai, a Cyperaceous Weed, with Special Reference to its Perennation Strategy

Abstract

Abstract Clonal variation in the sprouting pattern of tubers in Eleocharis kuroguwai Ohwi was studied, using 39 clones collected within a longitudinally narrow belt from Wakasa Bay to the Kii Peninsula of Japan and one of “Ohkuroguwai”, a cultivated form.The sprouting pattern of tubers and the relationship between sprouting time and other tuber characteristics varied noticeably among clones. Based on the polygonal graphs of × (mean), x̄ (standard deviation), g1 (skewness) and á (kurtosis) of the sprouting time, the sprouting pattern of 40 clones could be divided into the following three groups. Group A: x̄ and α were small, but g1 and a' were generally great; almost all tubers sprouted early and simultaneously. Group B: x̄ and α were greater, but g1 and a' were smaller than Group A; the majority of tubers sprouted quickly, but the rest of the tubers sprouted gradually. Group C: x̄ and α were very large, g1 was small, but a' showed a comparatively large negative value; all tubers sprouted gradually over a long period.Groups A and B were represented by the irrigation pond group from the Banshu Plain and by the Ohshima Island group in the paddy fields of the southern extremity of the Kii Peninsula. Clones from the paddy field group and from the plain group, both referable to typical rstrategists, exhibited various sprouting patterns of tubers.