Allocation of resources to flowering and fruit production in Hesperaloe funifera (Agavaceae)

MCLAUGHLIN, S; WILLAMS, P; ANOUTI, A; RAVETTA, D.A.; NELSON, J.M

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2000 vol. 45 p. 99 - 110

0140-1963

Hesperaloe funifera has long, thin fibres that can be used to produce paper withexceptional physical properties. Agronomic investigations have shown that thecrop can be harvested first after five years, and subsequently every three yearsthereafter. During the third or fourth year the plants produce a large inflorescence.The objective of this study was to determine the amounts of resources(carbohydrates and nitrogen) consumed during flowering, in order to gaugethe potential for shortening the harvest cycle through control of flowering.An average inflorescence in plants flowering for the first time had a mass of1111 g, which required 1430 g of soluble carbohydrate and 16.9 g of nitrogen.Total carbohydrate stored in such a plant prior to flowering was estimated to bejust 570 g, indicating that most of the carbohydrate used to support floweringhad to come from current photosynthesis. Estimated N requirements forflowering in four-year-old stands are 165–220 kgNha!1. Removal or inhibitionof developing flower stalks thus would appear to have the potential toredirect considerable amounts of carbohydrate to leaf production and greatlyreduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements.( 2000 Academic PressKeywords: Agavaceae; carbohydrates; flowering; fructan; fruit set; Hesperaloefunifera; nitrogen; total non-structural carbohydrates