Plant morphology

About: Plant morphology is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1174 publications have been published within this topic receiving 24418 citations. The topic is also known as: phytomorphology & morphology of higher plants.

Shoot morphology and leaf gas exchange of Fagus sylvatica as a function of light in Slovenian natural beech forests

Abstract: Five plots with young beech trees of the same age (13–15 years) were established to study the threshold, where plagiotropic growth becomes evident as the consequence of the reduced light intensity. Trees were equally distributed along the light gradient and were divided according to light conditions (Indirect Site Factor, ISF) into three groups of stand conditions: close canopy stand (ISF<20), edge (2025). Morphological and physiological responses of young beech were studied between managed and old growth forest and between different forest complexes (Pohorje and Kocevje region) on natural beech sites. Criteria for the plagiotrophic growth was the relation between tree length and tree height (l/h) under various light

The Relation Between Phenotypic Plasticity of Senecio glaucus L. and Some Soil Factors

Abstract: This study was conducted to assess the differences of some traits of Senecio glaucus L. in relation to the variation of some edaphic factors in three selected sites at the coastal part of the Arabian Gulf near Ad Dammam city in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. It depends on recording some morphological and physiological aspects of plants in relation to some edaphic parameters of the sustained soil, depending on mechanical and chemical analyses. It was found that soil salinity stress represents the major factor affecting the morphological and physiological characteristics of the investigated species. Traits mostly affected by salinity are: length of shoot, length of root, number of leaves per plants and the number of ray florets per capitulum. It was also found that the investigated plant growing under high salt stress is characterized by low water content, low content of chlorophyll a and high content of proline. The decrease of chlorophyll a content could be related to the decrease of water content of plant leaves under salt stress; whereas, the high content of proline in the plant tissues could be explained as an osmotic adjustment mechanism for the investigated species growing under high salinity stress.

Agro-morphological characterization of sweet potato genotypes grown in different ecological zones in Kenya.

Abstract: A main characteristic of sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam.] is its high phenotypic and genotypic variability. There is no, or limited, information on suitability of agro-morphological characteristics for utilization in production and processing. Currrently, farmers are growing different sweet potato genotypes characterized with low yield. The aim of the study was to evaluate agro-morphological characteristics of 68 sweet potato genotypes in order to determine the best performing ones. The sweet potato genotypes were grown at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization and the Embu and Miyare Agriculture Training College. The locations were chosen because they are the main sweet potato producing areas with different climatic and production conditions. Six storage root and five aerial characters were used in the characterization. The genotypes differed in storage root stalk and root length; vine internode length and vine internode growth rate; petiole length and leaf size, and yield at both sites. Genotype Nyautenge was the best performing in terms of storage root yield. There was poor correlation among agro-morphological attributes. The study demonstrates the potential of some sweet potato genotypes such as Nyautenge for high productivity.

A functional leaf may represent the assimilate accumulation characteristics of the whole seedling plant in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

Abstract: A single functional leaf is usually sampled to evaluate the growth and photosynthetic assimilation of crops. However, there is large variation between leaves in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) at seedling stage. In this study, the morphological and physiological characteristics of various functional leaves were compared with characteristics of the whole plant at seedling stage for 2 years by using the oilseed rape cultivars Huaza 9 and Huaza 62 as plant material. The aim of this study was to identify a leaf that can represent the whole plant for assimilate accumulation characteristics at the seedling stage of the crop. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate and the contents of non-structural carbohydrates, nutrients and soluble proteins in fourth and fifth leaf of a plant were most closely related to those of the whole plant. The area and dry matter (DM) of all functional leaves were well correlated with those of whole plant, with the fifth leaf having the highest correlations. It is therefore recommended that the fifth leaf is most suitable to represent the whole plant for evaluation of growth and assimilate accumulation for winter oilseed rape at the seedling stage. The following regression equations for whole plant (y) and fifth leaf (x, dry matter or length × width) can be used to predict (1) DM accumulation (g) and (2) total leaf area (cm2) of the whole plant: (1) y = 3.32x 1.51 (R2 = 0.88, P < 0.001); (2) y = 1.24x 222.69 (R2 = 0.67, P < 0.001).