Complementary water and nutrient utilization of perianth structural units help maintain long floral lifespan in Dendrobium.

ABSTRACT: Most orchids have high ornamental value with long-lived flowers. However, the mechanisms by which orchids maintain floral longevity are poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that floral longevity in Dendrobium is maintained by high resource investment and complementary water and nutrient utilization in different structural units of the perianth. To test this hypothesis, we determined which water- and nutrient-related traits are correlated with flower longevity in 23 Dendrobium species or cultivars, and examined variations of the related traits during flower development of one long-lived cultivar. We found that floral longevity was correlated with dry mass per unit area of perianths and total flower biomass, which indicates that maintaining floral longevity requires increased resource in

SUBMITTER: Li JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9899416 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature