The Acceleration of Primordium Initiation as a Component of Floral Evocation in Lolium temulentum L

Abstract

An acceleration of leaf primordium initiation by the shoot apex frequently follows floral evocation, but after varying intervals. The purpose of the experiments reported here was to define more closely the relation between this reduction of the plastochron and floral evocation, using the long day (LD) plant Lolium temulentum grown under closely controlled conditions.The acceleration begins at floral evocation, on the day after the first LD exposure, and increases after exposure to additional LDs. However, plants too young to be florally evoked by one LD nevertheless manifested an acceleration of primordium initiation, so the acceleration alone is not sufficient for evocation. Single applications of highly florigenic gibberellins (GA_s), such as GA₅, also accelerate the initiation of primordia and floral development, more so than does the weakly florigenic GA₁. By contrast, single applications of the growth retardant Trinexapac-ethyl (CGA 163'935) to plants given one LD largely prevented the acceleration of primordium initiation but without inhibiting floral development. Thus, although the acceleration of primordium initiation by LD or by GA application is the first external sign of floral evocation in L. temulentum, it is neither a sufficient nor an essential component of it.