The effect of air temperature in successive periods of the growing season on sylleptic shoot formation in young apple trees

Abstract

In two day-light phytotron rooms young apple trees were exposed to either 15 or 25°C in three successive periods of six weeks (Periods I, II and III) starting in the beginning of the growing season. A control group was kept outside throughout. Exposure to 15°C in either period had little effect on sylleptic growth; there was also hardly any difference with the outside treatment. At 25°C total sylleptic growth was greatly favoured especially when that temperature was applied in all three periods. However, 25°C given continuously did not affect sylleptic shoot number in Period II and III, but applied only in Period II or III greatly enhanced it. In a few cases there was a positive carry-over effect of 25°C given in Period I or II on sylleptic growth in the next period. No such carry-over effect was found for shoot number. Although temperature did influence growth of the parent shoot, that influence was much smaller than for sylleptic growth. The outgrowth of sylleptic shoots mainly occurred in periods when growth vigour of the parent shoot was highest. The distribution of sylleptic shoots along the parent shoot was greatly affected by the period in which the temperature of 25°C was applied suggesting that buds are only able to respond to outgrowth-inducing factors in a certain stage of development.