Heteroblastic plants produce markedly different leaf morphologies between juvenile and adult stages, while homoblastic plants exhibit little or gradual changes. We tested the hypothesis that the leaf morphology of the seedling stage of New Zealand heteroblastic species is advantageous in dealing with low light levels found in forest understorey. We used four independent contrasts of heteroblast...

Activities of phosphoriboisomerase, phosphoribulokinase, and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase, protein content, and chlorophyll accumulation in dark-grown barley seedlings were measured before and after illumination. Enzymatic activities, levels of soluble protein, and accumulation (upon illumination) of chlorophyll in leaves declined from tips toward the base. In response to increasing tim...

Hydraulic conductance was measured on leaf and stem segments excised from sugarcane plants at different stages of development. Maximum transpiration rates and leaf water potential (V'L) associated with maximum transpiration were also measured in intact plants as a function of plant size. Leaf specific hydraulic conductivity (LsJ and transpiration on a unit leaf area basis (E) were maximal in pl...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae) is a tropical species native to East Africa (Simon et al. 1990; Vieira and Simon 2000, 2006; Vieira et al. 2003). Sweet basil can be damaged in the field by chilling temperatures in spring and fall, and when stored and transported. Temperatures below 5°C lead to significant leaf necrosis and damage has been observed when temperatures drop below 10°C ...

Rubisco small subunits (RbcSs) are encoded by a nuclear multigene family in plants. Five RbcS genes, OsRbcS1, OsRbcS2, OsRbcS3, OsRbcS4, and OsRbcS5, have been identified in rice (Oryza sativa). Among them, the amino acid sequence of OsRbcS1 differs notably from those of other rice RbcSs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that OsRbcS1 is genetically distant from other rice RbcS genes and more closel...

Exploring genes with impact on yield-related phenotypes is the preceding step to accomplishing crop improvements while facing a growing world population. A genome-wide association scan on leaf blade area (LA) in a worldwide spring barley collection (Hordeum vulgare L.), including 125 two- and 93 six-rowed accessions, identified a gene encoding the homeobox transcription factor, Six-rowed spike ...

Peptide signaling plays important roles in various developmental processes of plants. Genes encoding CLE proteins, which are processed into CLE signaling peptides, are required for maintenance of the shoot apical meristem and for vascular differentiation. FON2-LIKE CLE PROTEIN1 (FCP1), a member of the CLE gene family, negatively regulates meristem maintenance in both shoot and root apical meris...