Abstract
Plagiotropic angle of seedling-derived Douglas-fir plantlets varied with position of adventitious bud origin on the explanted cotyledon rosette, being least at its center (18°) and greatest (45°) along the basal third of the cotyledon. When the tops of plagiotropic plantlets (55°) were grafted to seedling rootstock, they assumed a near-vertical orientation (10°), with pectinate changed to radial leaf arrangement, within 5 months. Conversely, seedling tops grafted to plagiotropic plantlet rootstock grew plagiotropically (56°). These, and other observations lead to a hypothesis that plagiotropism in cotyledon-derived plantlets results in part from an incomplete vascular connection of the root system to the shoot.
In contrast, the greater plagiotropic angle in plantlets from a 12 year-old tree, decreased by only half (from 72° to 34°) after grafting to seedling rootstock. First-season height increment of these plantlets was only 60 percent of seedling or juvenile plantlet height increment, and was unaffected by rootstock type. The adult-origin plantlets exhibited mature shoot morphology, and unchanged plagiotropism after 2 years growth in large pots. Thus it appears that the culture-induced juvenile appearance and behaviour noted for this material when maintained in vitro, is dependent on the continued presence of the culture conditions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abo El-Nil MM (1982) Method for asexual reproduction of coniferous trees. Patent No 4,353,184. October 12 US Patent Office
Amerson HV, Frampton LJJr, Mott RL & Spaine PC (1988) Tissue culture of conifers using loblolly pine as a model. In: Hanover JW & Keathly DE (Eds) Genetic Manipulation of Woody Plants (pp 117–137). Plenum Press, New York
Bigot C & Engelmann F (1987) Vegetative propagation in vitro of Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. In: Bonga JM & Durzan DJ (Eds) Tissue Culture in Forestry (pp 387–412). Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht
Blake TJ, Pharis RP & Reid DM (1980) Ethylene, gibberellins, auxin and the apical control of branch angle in a conifer, Cupressus arizonica. Planta 148: 64–68
Bon MC & Monteuuis O (1991) Rejuvenation of a 100-yearold Sequoiadendron giganteum through in vitro meristem culture. II. Biochemical arguments. Physiol. Plant 81: 116–120
Bonga JM (1982) Vegetative propagation in relation to juvenility, maturity, and rejuvenation. In: Bonga JM & Durzan DJ (Eds) Tissue Culture in Forestry (pp 387–412). Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht
Borchert R (1976) Differences in shoot growth patterns between juvenile and adult trees and their interpretation based on systems analysis of trees. Acta Hort. 56: 123–130
Carmi A & Van Staden J (1983) Role of roots in regulating the growth rate and cytokinin content in leaves. Plant Physiol. 73: 76–78
Dunstan D & Mohammed G (1986) Shoot production and elongation on explants from vegetative buds excised from 17 to 20 year old Pseudotsuga menziesii. New Zealand J. For. Sci. 16(3): 269–282
Greenwood MS (1987) Rejuvenation of forest trees. Plant Growth Regu. 6: 1–12
Gupta PK & Durzan DJ (1985) Shoot multiplication from mature Douglas-fir and sugar pine. Plant Cell Rep. 4: 177–179
Horgan K & Holland L (1990) Micropropagules from mature radiata pine. Abstr. Conifer Biotechnology Working Group, July 1990, Sittingbourne, England
Mascarenhas AF, Khuspe SS, Nadgauda RS, Gupta PK & Khan BM (1988) Potential of cell cultures in plantation forestry programs. In: Hanover JW & Keathley DE (Eds) Genetic Manipulation of Woody Plants (pp 391–412). Plenum Press, New York
Meins FJr (1983) Heritable variation in plant cell culture. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol, 34: 327–346
Misson JP (1988) Multiplication du Thuja plicata par culture in vitro de tissus juveniles et ages. Can. J. For. Res. 18: 473–477
Mohammed GH & Vidaver WE (1990) The influence of acclimatization treatment and plantlet morphology on early greenhouse-performance of tissue-cultured Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco]. Plant Cell Tiss. Org. Cult. 21: 111–117
Monteuuis O (1986) Microgreffage de points vegetatifs de Sequoiadendron giganteum Buchholz seculaires sur de juenes semis cultives in vitro. C. R. Acad, Sci. 302: 223–225
Monteuuis O & Dumas E (1990) Rejuvenation assessment of Pinus pinaster acclimated plantlets from in vitro adventitious budding, axillary budding and micrografting. In: Nijkamp HJJ, Van Der Plas LHW & Van Aartrijk J (Eds) Progress in Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology Proceedings of the VII International Congress on Plant Tissue and Cell Culture, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 24–29 June 1990, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (p. 117)
Monteuuis O (1991) Rejuvenation of a 100-year-old Sequoiadendron giganteum through in vitro meristem culture. I. Organogenic and morphological arguments. Physiol. Plant. 81: 116–120
Nadgauda RS, Parasharami VA & Mascarenhas AF (1990) Precocious flowering and seeding behaviour in tissuecultured bamboos. Nature 344: 335–336
Nozeran R (1978) Reflexions sur les enchainements de fonctionnement au cours du cycle des vegetaux superieurs. Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 125: 263–280
Pharis RP & Kuo CG (1977) Physiology of gibberellins in conifers. Can. J. For. Res. 7: 299–325
Power AB, Dodd RS & Libby WJ (1986) Cyclophysis and topophysis in coast redwood stecklings. Silv. Genet. 37: 8–14
Ritchie GA & Long AJ (1986) Field performance of micropropagated Douglas-fir. New Zealand J. For. Sci. 16(3): 343–356
Ritchie GA, Timmis R, Carlson WC & Conrad CE (1988) Epigenetic effects in rejuvenated, microporpagated loblolly pine nursery stock. In: Proceedings, 10th North American Forest Biology Workshop. Vancouver, BC July 20–22, 1988 (p. 158)
Sinnott GW (1952) Reaction wood and the regulation of tree form. Amer. J. Bot. 39: 69–78
Starbuck CJ & Roberts AN (1983) Compression wood in rooted cuttings of Douglas-fir. Physiol. Plant. 57: 371–374
Starbuck CJ, Proebsting WM & Roberts AN (1983) Responses of excised Douglas-fir shoots to disorientation. Hort. Sci. 18: 102–104
Timell TE (1986) Compression Wood in Gymnosperms. Vol. 2. Springer-Verlag, New York
Timmis R (1985) Factors influencing the use of clonal material in commerical forestry. In: Tigerstedt PMA, Puttonen P & Koski V (Eds) Crop Physiology of Forest Trees (pp 259–272) Helsinki University Press
Timmis R & Ritchie GA (1984) Progress in Douglas-fir tissue culture. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium of Recent Advances in Forest Biotechnology (pp 37–46). Traverse City, Michigan 10–13 June 1984
Wareing PF (1980) Root hormones and shoot growth. In: Little CHA (Ed) Control of Shoot Growth in Trees. Proceedings IUFRO Workshop, July 20–24 (pp 237–256) Frederiction, NB, Canada
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Timmis, R., Ritchie, G.A. & Pullman, G.S. Age- and position-of-origin and rootstock effects in Douglas-fir plantlet growth and plagiotropism. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 29, 179–186 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00034351
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00034351