Plant development controls leaf area expansion in alfalfa plants competing for light.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

The growth of crops in a mixture is more variable and difficult to predict than that in pure stands. Light partitioning and crop leaf area expansion play prominent roles in explaining this variability. However, in many crops commonly grown in mixtures, including the forage species alfalfa, the sensitivity and relative importance of the physiological responses involved in the light modulation of leaf area expansion are still to be established. This study was designed to assess the relative sensitivity of primary shoot development, branching and individual leaf expansion in alfalfa in response to light availability.

Methods

Two experiments were carried out. The first studied isolated plants to assess the potential development of different shoot types and gr

SUBMITTER: Baldissera TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3864722 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature