Abstract
ABSTRACT Here we aimed to evaluate the influence of cladode morphology on the canopy formation of forage cactus plants. The study was carried out in Serra Talhada, the State of Pernambuco, using the IPA Sertânia (IPA), Miúda (MIU), and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM) clones, which were submitted to three irrigation depths (2.5, 5.0, or 7.5 mm) and three irrigation intervals (7, 14, or 28 days) from March 2012 to August 2013. Cladode and plant canopy biometric data were obtained during the experimental period. We found that the characteristics of the second and third order cladodes contributed most to the canopy formation of clones of the genus Nopalea (IPA and MIU), whereas, for the genus Opuntia (OEM), the first and third order cladodes contributed most. Overall, we found that the influence of the cladode variables on the canopy growth of forage cactus is more associated with the characteristics of the genus than to the peculiarities of the clones.
Highlights
As a photosynthetic structure, leaves play a primordial role in plant growth, being in harmony with the other organs and with the edaphoclimatic conditions
Clones of cactus forage of the Opuntia and Nopalea genera are widely grown in the northeast of Brazilian, especially Orelha de Elefante Mexicana, which belongs to the Opuntia genus, and Miúda and IPA Sertânia of genus Nopalea
For clones IPA Sertânia (IPA), Miúda (MIU) and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM), we found that, in the Pearson’s correlation between growth characteristics of cladodes and plants, most the characteristics of the cladodes contributed to the formation and architecture of the vegetative canopy (Table 1)
Summary
Leaves play a primordial role in plant growth, being in harmony with the other organs and with the edaphoclimatic conditions. In addition to presenting various physiological adaptations, such as the nocturnal uptake of CO2 for greater efficiency of water use, Cacti species, such as the cactus forage, display morphological adaptations in their photosynthetic structures. Their leaves are atrophied, with the appearance of thorns in their place, so that photosynthesis is carried out in structures called cladodes (PEÑA-VALDIVIA et al, 2008; SILVA et al, 2010; SILVA et al, 2014a). These clones are widely used because of their resistance to Carmim cochineal, their major pest, as well as their use as an animal feed source, especially during the dry season (QUEIROZ et al, 2015; SILVA et al, 2015)
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