Removal Of Apex Research Articles

The complete anterior petrosectomy: an expanded extended-middle fossa approach with removal of the infratrigeminal petrous apex and drilling of the lateral clivus.

Intradural exposure in the extended middle fossa anterior transpetrosal approach is traditionally limited to the inferior petrosal sinus inferomedially. Expanding bone removal of the petrous apex around the petrous internal carotid artery (ICA), underneath the trigeminal ganglion/mandibular nerve, and into the lateral component of the clivus can significantly expand the limits of this approach beyond the inferior petrosal sinus and allows for exposure of the midline structures, aspects of the contralateral inferior clival region, and, when high riding, the vertebrobasilar junction. To date, no descriptive techniques for drilling into the lateral clivus in this approach have been published. The authors provide a detailed stepwise description of their complete anterior petrosectomy, in use at their institution, that involves skeletonization of the posteromedial petrous ICA, gentle elevation of the trigeminal ganglion/mandibular nerve, removal of the infratrigeminal petrous apex, and two techniques for drilling into the lateral clivus along the petroclival fissure. These techniques provide a direct and unobstructed corridor to the midpetroclival region and ventral brainstem with greater maneuverability and enhanced control of the midline structures, which is especially useful for resection of petroclival meningiomas, chondrosarcomas, and giant vascular lesions of the mid- and upper basilar artery and its proximal branches.

Effect of simulated microgravity conditions on a 3-dimensional clinostat on axillary bud growth induced by a removal of shoot apex in Alaska pea seedlings

Effect of simulated microgravity conditions on a 3-dimensional clinostat on axillary bud growth induced by a removal of shoot apex in Alaska pea seedlings

PhNAL1 Is Involved in Regulating Branch Development of Petunia

The branch number of plants is an important agronomic trait that directly influences the ornamental characters and production costs of ornamental plants. Shoot branching has always been a hot topic for Petunia hybrida. During our research, we isolated the homologous gene of narrow-leaf 1 (NAL1), denoted as PhNAL1. The expression level of PhNAL1 was higher in leaves and axils than in roots, stems, and flowers. Pertinent to shoot apex removal and 6-benzyladenine treatments, both interventions demonstrated a suppressive effect on the expression of PhNAL1. Through subcellular localization analysis, we found that PhNAL1 predominantly localized in the nucleus. By using RNA interference targeting PhNAL1, we induced a noticeable increase in branch number while concurrently reducing plant height of petunia. These findings demonstrate that PhNAL1 is involved in regulating branch development within petunia. This study provides genetic resources for the subsequent cultivation of new cultivars of petunia endowed with distinct branching characteristics.

Standardization of vertical root resection during socket shield technique in immediate implant placement

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to standardize an accurate and significant technique of root separation during socket shield technique. Patients and methods. Two phases of the study were conducted. In vitro study was performed on 20 extracted single-rooted anterior teeth. The second phase was clinical application of the new technique on 10 patients seeking to restore their badly decayed anterior teeth in the esthetic area with immediate implant placement utilizing the socket shield technique. Decoronation was done. The root canal was mechanically enlarged by means of manual assorted files. Canals were further enlarged with Gates Glidden drills. Peeso Reamer drills were used till the root was entirely separated into two parts (buccal & palatal). The palatal root was cautiously removed when the labial and palatal root halves were sufficiently separated. In case the root to be removed was endodontically treated, Gutta-percha was mechanically removed using Gates Glidden, & Gutta-percha solvent to remove the coronal and apical parts. Outcomes. Using manual endodontic K-files, Gates Glidden burs, and Peeso Reamer’s drills in separating the single-rooted teeth into two halves is a reproducible, and reliable procedure during socket shield technique. Conclusions. This technique prevents possible complications of root sectioning during socket shield technique with immediate implant placement. It preserves surrounding soft tissue structures, and labial shield during shield preparations, maintains the integrity of the labial plate of bone during extraction. Additionally, it offers total root apex removal by entirely separating the palatal portion from the labial shield.

Branching responses to pruning in young cocoa trees

The branching pattern of a tree determines the efficiency of light interception and carbon assimilation. Pruning can modify the branching pattern, because of changes in physiological and environmental conditions, and ultimately pruning can have major effects on yield. For one of the major tropical tree crops, cocoa (Theobroma cacao), very little is known about branching response to pruning. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a pruning experiment on young cocoa trees in Côte d'Ivoire.We applied five treatments to two parcels planted with different genetic materials: two heading treatments (the removal of the terminal apex or 66% of a primary branch) and two thinning treatments (the removal of 1 or 2 primary branches) and one unpruned control. The secondary-branching pattern of the primary branches was described by the number, position, and length of secondary branches right after pruning, and the same observations were repeated after a cycle of leaf production. The probability of branching and the length of secondary branches along a primary branch, in pruned and unpruned conditions, was analyzed using generalized and linear mixed effect models, respectively.In unpruned conditions, the probability of secondary-branch presence was higher towards the middle of the primary branches and lower at the base and the tip. Secondary-branch length decreased from the base to the tip of a primary branch. After one cycle of leaf production, secondary branch emergence differed between the two parcels. In one parcel more branches emerged on the distal section of a primary branch, while in the other they emerged preferentially in the more proximal section. Pruning increased the probability of branch emergence mostly towards the tip of a primary branch, with heavy heading having the strongest effect. By contrast, heavy thinning increased branch emergence also toward the base of the primary branch.Our results can be applied to improve formation pruning, as this may trigger branching in different parts of the crown, depending on the form of pruning. Our study also assists the development of three-dimensional tree models that could further our understanding of the impact of pruning on cocoa growth and productivity.

Investigating the Transient Regenerative Potential of Cardiac Muscle Using a Neonatal Pig Partial Apical Resection Model.

Researchers have shown that adult zebrafish have the potential to regenerate 20% of the ventricular muscle within two months of apex resection, and neonatal mice have the capacity to regenerate their heart after apex resection up until day 7 after birth. The goal of this study was to determine if large mammals (porcine heart model) have the capability to fully regenerate a resected portion of the left ventricular apex during the neonatal stage, and if so, how long the regenerative potential persists. A total of 36 piglets were divided into the following groups: 0-day control and surgical groups and seven-day control and surgical groups. For the apex removal groups, each piglet was subjected to a partial wall thickness resection (~30% of the ventricular wall thickness). Heart muscle function was assessed via transthoracic echocardiograms; the seven-day surgery group experienced a decrease in ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Upon gross necropsy, for piglets euthanized four weeks post-surgery, all 0-day-old hearts showed no signs of scarring or any indication of the induced injury. Histological analysis confirmed that piglets in the 0-day surgery group exhibited various degrees of regeneration, with half of the piglets showing full regeneration and the other half showing partial regeneration. However, each piglet in the seven-day surgery group demonstrated epicardial fibrosis along with moderate to severe dissecting interstitial fibrosis, which was accompanied by an abundant collagenous extracellular matrix as the result of a scar formation in the resection site. Histology of one 0-day apex resection piglet (briefly lain on and accidentally killed by the mother sow three days post-surgery) revealed dense, proliferative mesenchymal cells bordering the fibrin and hemorrhage zone and differentiating toward immature cardiomyocytes. We further examined the heart explants at 5-days post-surgery (5D PO) and 1-week post-surgery (1W PO) to assess the repair progression. For the 0-day surgery piglets euthanized at 5D PO and 1W PO, half had abundant proliferating mesenchymal cells, suggesting active regeneration, while the other half showed increased extracellular collagen. The seven-day surgery piglets euthanized at 5D PO, and 1W PO showed evidence of greatly increased extracellular collagen, while some piglets had proliferating mesenchymal cells, suggesting a regenerative effort is ongoing while scar formation seems to predominate. In short, our qualitative findings suggest that the piglets lose the full myocardial regenerative potential by 7 days after birth, but greatly preserve the regenerative potential within 1 day post-partum.

Maturation of the anterior petrous apex: surgical relevance for performance of the middle fossa transpetrosal approach in pediatric patients.

The middle fossa transpetrosal approach to the petroclival and posterior cavernous sinus regions includes removal of the anterior petrous apex (APA), an area well studied in adults but not in children. To this end, the authors performed a morphometric analysis of the APA region during pediatric maturation. Measurements of the distance from the clivus to the internal auditory canal (IAC; C-IAC), the distance of the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery (petrous carotid; PC) to the mesial petrous bone (MPB; PC-MPB), the distance of the PC to the mesial petrous apex (MPA; PC-MPA), and the IAC depth from the middle fossa floor (IAC-D) were made on thin-cut CT scans from 60 patients (distributed across ages 0-3, 4-7, 8-11, 12-15, 16-18, and > 18 years). The APA volume was calculated as a cylinder using C-IAC (length) and PC-MPB (diameter). APA pneumatization was noted. Data were analyzed by laterality, sex, and age. APA parameters did not differ by laterality or sex. APA pneumatization was seen on 20 of 60 scans (33.3%) in patients ≥ 4 years. The majority of the APA region growth occurred by ages 8-11 years, with PC-MPA and PC-MPB increasing 15.9% (from 9.4 to 10.9 mm, p = 0.08) and 23.5% (from 8.9 to 11.0 mm, p < 0.01) between ages 0-3 and 8-11 years, and C-IAC increasing 20.7% (from 13.0 to 15.7 mm, p < 0.01) between ages 0-3 and 4-7 years. APA volume increased 79.6% from ages 0-3 to 8-11 years (from 834.3 to 1499.2 mm3, p < 0.01). None of these parameters displayed further significant growth. Finally, IAC-D increased 51.1% (from 4.3 to 6.5 mm, p < 0.01) between ages 0-3 and adult, without significant differences between successive age groups. APA development is largely complete by the ages of 8-11 years. Knowledge of APA growth patterns may aid approach selection and APA removal in pediatric patients.

Effects of Shoot Apex Removal on Growth and Yield Attributes of Cotton

The current study was designed to investigate the effect of shoot apex removal on the growth and yield attributes of the cotton crop. A field experiment was conducted in the cotton-growing season (2020-2021) at Muzaffargarh, district of South Punjab. The field trial was comprised of two acres of land where one acre of land was considered as treatment (cotton plants with shoot apex removal) and the other acre of land served as a control plot (cotton plants without shoot apex removal). The data were collected fortnightly (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th times) from the randomly selected cotton plants (n=50) from the treated and control plot after fifteen days of treatment (shoot apex removal). The data were comprised of vegetative parameters (i.e., plant height, no. of nodes and leaves), reproductive parameters (i.e., no. of squares, flowers, immature/mature bolls, the opening of bolls and boll weight) and cotton fiber quality parameters [i.e., fiber length, strength, finesse and GOT (ginning outturn)]. Descriptive analysis was employed on all data recorded through an independent two-sample t-test to evaluate the positive effect of shoot apex removal in cotton production. Our results indicated that after removing the top shoot of the cotton plants, greater effects had started to occur in the treated plants such as vegetative growth had become significantly (at p≤0.001) slow down and reproductive growth considerably (at p≤0.01) enhanced. Besides, removal of the shoot apex in cotton plants has developed resistance against the sucking pest i.e., pink bollworm infestation significantly reduced by 50% and whitefly population has lessened by 11%. The results also indicated that this treatment significantly augmented (at p≤0.01) the boll weight by 12%, as well as improved the cotton fiber length, strength and fineness by 7% as compared to the normal cotton plant. It was concluded that shoot apex removal caused cotton plants to produce numerous lateral shoots to develop more branches to carry more cotton bolls on them eventually significantly enhancing the cotton yield by 13% (18 monds acre-1) as compared to the control plot. It can be suggested that the practical implementation of removing the shoot apex of the cotton plant would act as a promising technique to enhance the cotton yield.

Accuracy and clinical safety of guided root end resection with a trephine: a case series

BackgroundRoot-end resection is an endodontic surgical intervention that requires high precision so that all ramifications and lateral canals so as infected tissues are eliminated. An exploratory study was conducted to justify the clinical safety and accuracy of guided root-end resection with a trephine.MethodsFourteen root-end resections were performed in 11 patients. With the aid of computer tomography and rapid prototyping a stereolithographically fabricated, tooth-supported surgical template was used to guide trephinations. Surgery was performed using the printed surgical stent and a trephine was used not only for the osteotomy but for the root end resection as well.ResultsThe root end was successfully and completely resected by the trephine in all cases. No intraoperative complications were observed in any of the cases, and the patients were free of symptoms indicating recurrence or complications at the 6-month follow-up. The median angular deviation of the trephination was 3.95° (95% CI: 2.1–5.9), comparable to the angular deviation of guided implant surgery. The mean apex removal error (ARE) was 0.19 mm (95% CI: 0.03–0.07). The mean osteotomy depth error (ODE) was 0.37 mm (95% CI: 0.15–1.35). Overpenetration was a characteristic finding, which indicates the necessity of a stop-trephine.ConclusionsWithin the limitations of this study, we conclude that our results support the use of guided trephination for root-end resection.

The influence of explants type and orientation on growth and development of Mandevilla sanderi (Hemsl.) Woodson in vitro

Mandevilla sanderi is an important commercial ornamental pot plant. Traditional vegetative propagation is limited due to the low rate, therefore there is a need to develop an alternative, more efficient method. There is an interest in development of micropropagation technology for the species, as it allows to obtain a lot of offsprings in a relatively short time. The aim of the present work was to estimate an influence of explants type and position on regeneration of Mandevilla sanderi in tissue culture. Four different types of explants (leafy shoot tips, decapitated leafy shoot tips, defoliated shoot tips, decapitated and defoliated shoot tips) were used in the experiment, which were placed on the media vertically, while defoliated shoot tips were placed horizontally or vertically upside down. The explants were cultivated on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg·dm–3 benzyladenine (BA) and 0.5 mg·dm–3 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). It was noted that both explants orientation and positioning, influenced the multiplication rate. Defoliated shoot tips placed horizontally were characterized by higher multiplication rate (6.8) in comparison to upside down vertical positioning (3.2). It was also observed that removal of shoot apex improved axillary branching, while defoliation of shoots placed in a normal position reduced multiplication rate.

Apicoectomy: An elucidation to a hitch

Endodontic surgery is a safe and passable alternative when teeth are not responding to traditional endodontic therapy and don’t acquire favourable outcomes. Apicoectomy involves surgical management of a tooth with a periapical lesion which cannot be resolved by routine endodontic treatment. Because the term “apicoectomy” consists of only one aspect of a multifaceted series of surgical procedures, i.e removal of root apex, the terms “periapical surgery” or “periradicular surgery” are more apposite. It must only be applied in specific situations. Endodontic treatment failures can be related to: extra-radicular infections such as periapical actinomycosis; to foreign body reactions that can be caused by endodontic material extrusion; to endogenous cholesterol crystal accumulation in apical tissues and unresolved cystic lesion. Keywords: Apicoectomy, Root resection, Surgery, Tooth.

Iron toxicity resistance strategies in tropical grasses: The role of apoplastic radicular barriers

The revegetation of mined areas poses a great challenge to the iron ore mining industry. The initial recovery process in degraded areas might rely on the use of Fe-resistant grasses. Tropical grasses, such as Paspalum densum and Echinochloa crus-galli, show different resistance strategies to iron toxicity; however, these mechanisms are poorly understood. The Fe-resistance mechanisms and direct iron toxicity as a function of root apex removal were investigated. To achieve this purpose, both grass species were grown for up to 480 hr in a nutrient solution containing 0.019 or 7 mmol/L Fe-EDTA after the root apices had been removed or maintained. Cultivation in the presence of excess iron-induced leaf bronzing and the formation of iron plaque on the root surfaces of both grass species, but was more significant on those plants whose root apex had been removed. Iron accumulation was higher in the roots, but reached phytotoxic levels in the aerial parts as well. It did not hinder the biosynthesis of chloroplastidic pigments. No significant changes in gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence occurred in either grass when their roots were kept intact; the contrary was true for plants with excised root apices. In both studied grasses, the root apoplastic barriers had an important function in the restriction of iron translocation from the root to the aerial plant parts, especially in E. crus-galli. Root apex removal negatively influenced the iron toxicity resistance mechanisms (tolerance in P. densum and avoidance in E. crus-galli).

Identification and Functional Analysis of Two Cotton Orthologs of MAX2 Which Control Shoot Lateral Branching

Cotton (Gossypium spp.), as the most important fiber and oilseed crop in the world, is extremely important for the industry. However, due to its indeterminate growth habit and complex branching system, massive labor costs are needed for shoot apex removal and branch pruning during cotton production. Therefore, it is very important to explore branch-controlling genes and genetically modify the branch architecture of cotton. Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel class of plant hormone that inhibit the outgrowth of lateral branches. To elucidate the role of SLs in branch development of cotton, we cloned and characterized GhMAX2a and GhMAX2b from tetraploid upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), the orthologs of Arabidopsis MAX2, rice D3, and petunia RMS4. GhMAX2a/2b was ubiquitously expressed in all tested tissues of cotton, with relatively higher expression levels in leaves and lateral buds. Subcellular localization assay showed that the GhMAX2-GFP fusion protein localized to the nucleus. Both GhMAX2a and GhMAX2b can fully rescue the dwarfed and highly branched phenotypes of the Arabidopsis max2-1 mutant, indicating that GhMAX2s have conserved functions with that of AtMAX2. The cotton GhMAX2b interacted with Arabidopsis Skp1-like 1 (ASK1) proteins in vitro which was further confirmed in the Arabidopsis protoplasts using the co-immunoprecipitation assay, indicating that GhMAX2b probably functions through forming an SCF E3 complex with Skp and other proteins in the Arabidopsis. These results suggest that the cotton GhMAX2s encode functional MAX2 that can inhibit the shoot lateral branching. Further functional analysis of GhMAX2s in determining cotton branch architecture and yield is underway.

Effects of down-regulating ornithine decarboxylase upon putrescine-associated metabolism and growth in Nicotiana tabacum L.

Transgenic plants of Nicotiana tabacum L. homozygous for an RNAi construct designed to silence ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) had significantly lower concentrations of nicotine and nornicotine, but significantly higher concentrations of anatabine, compared with vector-only controls. Silencing of ODC also led to significantly reduced concentrations of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), tyramine and phenolamides (caffeoylputrescine and dicaffeoylspermidine) with concomitant increases in concentrations of amino acids ornithine, arginine, aspartate, glutamate and glutamine. Root transcript levels of S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase, S-adenosyl methionine synthase and spermidine synthase (polyamine synthesis enzymes) were reduced compared with vector controls, whilst transcript levels of arginine decarboxylase (putrescine synthesis), putrescine methyltransferase (nicotine production) and multi-drug and toxic compound extrusion (alkaloid transport) proteins were elevated. In contrast, expression of two other key proteins required for alkaloid synthesis, quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (nicotinic acid production) and a PIP-family oxidoreductase (nicotinic acid condensation reactions), were diminished in roots of odc-RNAi plants relative to vector-only controls. Transcriptional and biochemical differences associated with polyamine and alkaloid metabolism were exacerbated in odc-RNAi plants in response to different forms of shoot damage. In general, apex removal had a greater effect than leaf wounding alone, with a combination of these injury treatments producing synergistic responses in some cases. Reduced expression of ODC appeared to have negative effects upon plant growth and vigour with some leaves of odc-RNAi lines being brittle and bleached compared with vector-only controls. Together, results of this study demonstrate that ornithine decarboxylase has important roles in facilitating both primary and secondary metabolism in Nicotiana.

Effect of Topping and Gibberellic Acid Combinations on Growth, Flowering and yield Components of Husk Tomato (Physalis pruinosa, L.)

This investigation was aimed to study the effects of interaction of apex removal (topping) treatments at varying interval leaf stages (4, 5 and 6th leaf stage) and application of gibberellic acid (GA3) at different rates (0, 20 and 40 mg/L) on growth, flowering characters, yield and its components of husk tomato (Physalis pruinosa, L.) cultivar Balady. The obtained results showed that topping at 4 , 5 and 6th leaf stage stimulated growth of basal branches and increased number of flowers which were achieved at the early yield, likewise, application of GA3 either at 20 or 40 mg/L overcame the delaying effect of topping on flowering and at the same time enhanced growth of basal branches. In conclusion total yield increased, by 4th leaf stage of topping under 40 mg/L of GA3 combination, which sassociated with increased number and average weight of fruits.

Effects of Apex Removal on the Growth and Yield of Artichoke by Planting Times

Effects of Apex Removal on the Growth and Yield of Artichoke by Planting Times

Effect of shoot apex removal on growth and yield of Cucurbita pepo vines

Effect of shoot apex removal on growth and yield of Cucurbita pepo vines

RNAi-mediated down-regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) impedes wound-stress stimulation of anabasine synthesis in Nicotiana glauca

Unlike most Nicotiana species, leaf tissues of the globally significant weed Nicotiana glauca Grah. (Argentinian tree tobacco) contains anabasine as the main component of its alkaloid pool, with concentrations typically increasing several fold in response to wounding of plants. The Δ(1)-piperidinium ring of anabasine is synthesised from cadaverine, via the decarboxylation of lysine, however the identity of the protein catalysing this reaction remains unknown. Recent studies indicate that ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the diamine putrescine, may also possess LDC activity. Previously we found that ODC transcript is markedly up-regulated in leaves of N. glauca in response to wounding. In order to examine the role of ODC in the synthesis of anabasine in N. glauca, transcript levels were constitutively down-regulated in hairy root cultures and transgenic plants via the introduction of a CaMV35S driven ODC-RNAi construct. In addition to the anticipated marked reduction in nicotine concentrations, demonstrating that the ODC-RNAi construct was functioning in vivo, we observed that N. glauca ODC-RNAi hairy root cultures had a significantly diminished capacity to elevate anabasine synthesis in response to treatment with the wound-associated hormone methyl jasmonate, when compared to vector-only controls. We observed also that ODC-RNAi transgenic plants had significantly reduced ability to increase anabasine concentrations following removal of the plant apex. We conclude that ODC does have an important role in enabling N. glauca to elevate levels of anabasine in response to wound-associated stress.

Root‐derived auxin contributes to the phosphorus‐deficiency‐induced cluster‐root formation in white lupin (Lupinus albus)

Formation of cluster roots is a typical morphological response to phosphorus (P) deficiency in white lupin (Lupinus albus), but its physiological and molecular mechanisms are still unclear. We investigated the role of auxin in the initiation of cluster roots by distinguishing the sources of auxin, measuring the longitudinal distribution patterns of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) along the root and the related gene expressions responsible for polar auxin transport (PAT) in different developmental stages of cluster roots. We found that removal of shoot apex or primary root apex and application of auxin-influx or -efflux transport inhibitors, 3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, to the stem did not affect the number of cluster roots and the free-IAA concentration in the roots of P-deficient plants, but when these inhibitors were applied directly to the growth media, the cluster-root formation was greatly suppressed, suggesting the fundamental role of root-derived IAA in cluster-root formation. The concentration of free IAA in the roots was higher in P-deficient plants than in P-adequate ones, and the highest in the lateral-root apex and the lowest in the mature cluster roots. Meanwhile the expression patterns of LaAUX1, LaPIN1 and LaPIN3 transcripts related to PAT was consistent with concentrations of free IAA along the lateral root, indicating the contribution of IAA redistribution in the cluster-root development. We proposed that root-derived IAA plays a direct and important role in the P-deficiency-induced formation of cluster roots.

Effects of fragmentation on the survival and growth of the invasive, clonal plant Alternanthera philoxeroides

The capacity of small clonal fragments to survive and grow is a major factor in the spread of clonal plants, especially aquatic species. This study of the introduced, invasive, amphibious, stoloniferous herb Alternanthera philoxeroides in China tested the effects of fragment size, of loss of the stolon apex, and of the original position of a fragment within a clone before fragmentation on the survival and growth of fragments in a greenhouse experiment. The stolon internodes of plants consisting of one stolon with 5 ramets were severed in all 16 possible patterns, generating fragments of 1–5 ramets. These 16 fragmentation treatments were crossed with removal of the stolon apex. Fragmentation and apex removal did not affect total growth of plants, but more highly fragmented plants produced smaller, more numerous ramets. The survival of fragments consisting of one original ramet was about 85%, compared to 100% survival of fragments with 5 original ramets. Fragments consisting of the youngest ramets along the original stolon grew more than fragments of the same size that consisted of older ramets. These effects of fragmentation on growth provide new evidence for clonal integration of the rate at which connected ramets produce new ramets and novel evidence that fragments produced from different portions of clones have different potential for spread. They further suggest that detachment of small groups of distal ramets along stolons in the field might be very effective in spreading the species and that a trade-off between the number and the size of new ramets produced by fragments may represent an adaptive, plastic response to disturbance. Results do not recommend intentional fragmentation of clones as a means of controlling the rate of growth of this invasive species but suggest that incidental fragmentation may not increase its growth in mass, although it may increase its rate of spread.