Role of mature leaves in inhibition of root bud growth inEuphorbia esulaL.

Abstract

Earlier studies on the source of signals controlling correlative inhibition of root buds (underground adventitious buds located on the lateral roots) inEuphorbia esulaindicated that either growing meristems (apical or axillary buds) or fully expanded leaves could prevent root buds from breaking quiescence. An investigation of the production and transport requirements of the leaf-derived signal is described. As few as three leaves remaining on budless stems greatly reduced the growth of (but not the number of growing) root buds. Also, light and CO2fixation were necessary for the leaf effects on root bud growth, but not necessary for correlative inhibition imposed by growing axillary buds. Treatment of plants with Ametryn induced root bud growth on budless plants but not on plants with intact axillary buds. The polar auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid prevented transmission or the signal from growing axillary buds, but it had only a minor effect on the transmission of the leaf-derived signal. Treatment of plants with gibberellic acid (GA) induced growth of root buds under otherwise noninducing conditions to some extent in all plants. However, the greatest effects of GA were on plants with intact leaves (meristemless/budless and meristemless). GA had no significant effect on root bud quiescence under conditions that induced root bud growth.