Influence of defoliation on reproductive capacity and growth inBuddleja davidii
| Autor: | Euan G. Mason, Duane A. Peltzer, M M Thomas, Matthew H. Turnbull, Michael S. Watt, David Whitehead, J Jay |
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| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Weed Research. 49:67-72 |
| ISSN: | 1365-3180 0043-1737 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1365-3180.2008.00657.x |
| Popis: | Summary This study aims at quantifying the effects of defoliationon seed production and germination in Buddleja davidii,and determining the potential for reducing the invasivesuccess of the species. The effects of defoliation on seedproduction and germination at the flower spike andplant levels were investigated for control plants andplants that were defoliated by 66% at monthly intervalsfrom mid-summer (January) to mid-autumn (April).Seed samples for germination were collected in lateautumn (May). Defoliation reduced flower spike num-ber per shoot, seed number per flower spike and averageseed mass by 9%, 22% and 13% and 30%, 33% and17% on main and side shoots, respectively. In contrast,emergent leaf area per shoot in the defoliated plantsexceeded that for the control plants by 89%. The ratioof total seed mass per plant ⁄emergent leaf area pershoot was significantly lower in the defoliated comparedwith the control plants by 50%. Defoliation did notaffect the timing or rate of seed germination. Defoliationof B. davidii resulted in a marked decrease in reproduc-tive capacity, consistent with the priority allocation ofresources to compensational leaf area growth.Keywords: butterfly-bush, seed production, compensa-tional growth, germination, weed control.T |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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