Abstract
Summary Foliar morphogenesis was studied in Taraxacum officinale through the shoot apex culture of plants from different ontogenic stages. Apices from young plants only produced juvenile leaves (entire). On the other hand, apices from adult plants differentiated juvenile and adult (runcinate) leaves. If adult plants were induced to produce juvenile leaves upon treatment with gibberellic acid (GA3), the isolated apices produced a higher proportion of juvenile leaves. This change is associated with a prolonged apparent plastochron, alike the one observed when whole plants are similarly treated. These observations indicated that the apical region has enough information to express its own development. In agreement with results of treatments to whole plants, when apices isolated from adult plants were irradiated with FR light during culture, or incubated with GA3, the production of runcinate leaves by the apex reverted to less complex forms. This is related either to changes produced by FR-light or GA3 on the apical zone, or directly on the early differentiation of primordia, regardless of the influence of other parts of the plant. On the other hand, the plastochron was not affected, thus suggesting that this property is acquired by the apical zone through its interaction with the metabolism of the plant as a whole.
Published Version
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