The relevance of shoots in the formation of crown buds in gentian

Crown buds are an important determinant of yield and quality in the production of flowering shoots in gentians.
While anecdotally it has been reported that the harvesting of flowering shoots can have a negative effect on the formation of crown buds, the current study endeavoured to quantify what, if any, relationship existed between shoots and crown-bud formation.
Plants of genotype ’03/04-114′ and the cultivar ‘Showtime Spotlight’ were used.
Clusters of crown buds mainly formed at the base of developing floral shoots.
At the end of the growing season total crown-bud number (TCBN) was determined by both crown-bud cluster number (CN) and crown-bud number per cluster (CBNC). While there was no correlation between CN and CBNC for either genotype 03/04-114 or ‘Showtime Spotlight’, shoot number (SN) was positively correlated with CN (03/04-114: r²=0.48; P=0.004 and ‘Showtime Spotlight’: r²=0.52; P<0.001), but not with CBNC. As there was no evidence of a positive correlation between SN and CN following extended periods of defoliation of genotype 03/04-114 (r²=0.14; P=0.29), the likely implications of shoot removal and defoliation are discussed in terms of photo-assimilate acquisition and/or hormonal control of development of clusters of crown buds.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposium on Ornamental Horticulture in the Global Greenhouse

Y. Wang, D.J. Woolley, K.A. Funnell, E.R. Morgan, J.R. Eason

Gentiana, cut flowers, clusters, defoliation, perennial

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1104.24