Ethylene production, EFE activity and ACC concentrations during the growth and development ofLiatris spicatacv. Callilepis

Abstract

SUMMARYThe ethylene production rate, ACC content and EFE activity were studied during growth and development of Liatris spicata cv. Callilepis, to obtain information which might help in directing the physiological response of the plant towards practical cultivation needs. Ethylene production and the other variates were measured in the whole plant and separately in the aerial part and corm. The amount of ethylene emitted depends on the stage of development of the plant, suggesting that the hormone is important in all stages of the life cycle of liatris. In the aerial part the highest EFE activity and ACC concentrations were found between sprouting and the formation of the basal leaf rosette. These values then fell until the first flowers open, when they began to rise again. In the corm, high concentrations of ACC present when the plants are taken out of cold storage fell during the first weeks of cultivation; EFE activity, on the other hand, was minimal and rose sharply with imbibition. A physiological int...