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The effect of flurprimidol on bud flush, shoot growth, and on endogenous gibberellins and abscisic acid of Douglas-fir seedlings

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Abstract

For 4-month-old Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] seedlings under 17-h photoperiods in controlled environment conditions, flurprimidol (α-(1-methlyethyl-α-[4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]-5-pyrimidine-methanol) decreased incidence of second flushing from 81 to 54% and significantly reduced height growth in the second year following low-temperature treatment, in comparison to untreated controls. For seedlings under 15-h photoperiods, flurprimidol had only limited early effects, but after a period of bud dormancy, shoot growth was reduced to one-third that of the untreated controls. Under both photoperiods flurprimidol significantly depressed abscisic acid levels and gibberellin-like bioactivity. These results suggest that growth reduction in this conifer by flurprimidol may well involve inhibition of gibberellin biosynthesis.

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Abbreviations

GA:

gibberellin

ABA:

abscisic acid

FPP:

farnesyl pyrophosate

HPLC:

high performance liquid chromatography

GC-EC:

gas chromatography-electron capture

GC-MS:

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, 97331, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Jeff S. Graham, Stephen D Hobbs & Joe B. Zaerr

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  1. Jeff S. Graham
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  2. Stephen D Hobbs
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  3. Joe B. Zaerr
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Graham, J.S., Hobbs, S.D. & Zaerr, J.B. The effect of flurprimidol on bud flush, shoot growth, and on endogenous gibberellins and abscisic acid of Douglas-fir seedlings. J Plant Growth Regul 13, 131–136 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196376

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196376

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