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D8 originally designated as the dominant stature mutant of maize, was characterized and shown to be incompletely dominant. The study included morphological measurements, cytology, hormone studies, and enzyme and protein analysis. The effect of the D8 mutation can be detected after 40 hours of germination of the coleoptile. Dwarf (D8/d8) seedling length is 1/2 of the normal sib length for coleoptile, first leaf, and mesocotyl. The cell measurements indicate that cell elongation and cell division are involved in the size discrepancy. Mature dwarf plants have shorter internodes and the shorter, wider leaves are a darker green than the normal plant. The homozygous D8/D8 displays normal meiotic division and pollen formation is normal upto the 2 nucleate stage. Pollen viability of the homozygote is low and no seed was obtained in crosses involving this genotype. Several biological stains were used to test pollen viability with the results indicating greater than 85% viability for the heterozygote and less than 15.6% viability for the homozygote. The examination of the pachytene chromosomes of heterozygotes indicates a loop on a large chromosome. This loop is only found in the D8 heterozygote and implies a duplication or deficiency may be involved with the D8 phenotype. Avena straight growth bioassay for auxin displayed no significant difference in auxin production between dwarf and normal coleoptile tips. The D8 dwarf seedlings responded to the exogenous application of auxin, kinetin, and casamino acids in the same pattern as the normal seedlings, but never attained normal stature. Gibberellic acid (GA) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) exogenous applications displayed a difference in dwarf and normal response patterns and implies that the utilization or destruction of these substances may be involved. The investigation of Laemmli gel patterns for the three genotypes failed to show a difference. The soluble proteins formed 27 bands from the coleoptiles of each phenotype. Adh-1 gel patterns and pollen staining was utilized to examine the possibility of a deletion overlapping this locus. The Adh-1 locus has been mapped proximal to the D8 locus. The results indicate the Adh locus is not included in the putative D8 deletion.

The above-ground part of a plant has an important contribution to plant development and yield production. Physiological activities of a plant canopy highly correlate to morphology of plant vegetation. Obviously, leaf area index is a good indicator for leaf area, but does not provide any information about the spatial architecture of plant canopy. With the development of fractal theory, a quantitative toot is now available for the investigation of complex objects and shapes such as plant structure. Vegetation structure of corn ( Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] plants might be affected by the plant population density (low, normal, high) of each crop and corn-soybean intercropping. Skeletonized leaf-off images provided acceptable information to estimate the fractal dimension of the soybean plant 2-dimensionally, using the box-counting method. Fractal dimension varied among soybean treatments, with rankings: low > normal > intercrop > high, in the overall mean and normal ≈ intercrop ≈ low > high, in the slope of time plots. An adjustment of field corn plants to treatments, by changing the orientation of the plane of developed leaves with respect to the row, was observed. Thus, the fractal dimension of corn plant skeletal images from each of two sides, side I (parallel to row) and side 2 (perpendicular to row), was analyzed. On the basis of overall means of fractal dimension, treatments were ranked as: high > normal ≈ intercrop ≈ low for side 1 and intercrop > low ≈ normal > high for side 2. In both cases of soybean and corn plants, leaf area index, plant height and number of leaves (only in case of soybean plant) increased over the experiment for all the treatments, indicating a positive correlation with fractal dimension. In contrast, light penetration decreased during crop development, indicating a negative correlation with fractal dimension. Furthermore, a modified version of the Beer-Lambert equation, in which fractal dimension mu

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Studies of corn root morphology, canopy description, light and nutrient relationships, have focused on conventional corn hybrids. We are now extending these studies to other corn types with contrasting canopy and root architectures. Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out in order to characterize root morphology, N status in the plant and its relationship with yield and yield components, canopy architecture and light interception of these genotypes. The indoor experiments investigated root morphology and how N affects it. Root fractal geometry and its relationship with standard measured root variables were investigated. The field research, at two sites and over two growing seasons, examined (i) maize canopy architecture with regard to light interception and (ii) nitrogen effects on grain yield of different maize genotypes. Four genotypic types were included: (i) Leafy reduced-stature, Lfy1rd1 (LRS), (ii) non Leafy-reduced stature, lfyrd1 (NLRS), (iii) Leafy normal stature, Lfy1Rd1 (LNS), and (iv) conventional commercial hybrids, lfy1Rd1. Pioneer 3905 served as the check hybrid for late maturity, and Pioneer 3979, the check for early maturity. The work allowed development of following methods: (i) root sampling for measurement of large root systems, (ii) staining to enhance root contrast for measurement with a scanner-based software system, (iii) sample size determination for SPAD meter readings, and (iv) the design and construction of a mobile and multi-strata device for measurement of light interception. Data were collected for mathematical characterization of canopies (i.e. leaf angle, co-ordinates of the maximum height of the leaf, co-ordinates of the leaf tip), plant N status (SPAD meter readings), light interception, yield and grain yield components. Conventional hybrids generally showed greater root length and surface area than their leafy genotypic counterparts at early developmental stages (i.e. up to 15 days from emergence). However, Leafy geno

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No description available.

Previous studies on Leafy reduced-stature (LRS) maize found that it had extremely early maturity and a higher harvest index (HI), leading to high yields for its maturity rating. Whether this apparent high HI is relaxed to its earliness, or can also exist among the medium or late maturity LRS maize has not been previously investigated. It was also of interest to know if the traits that produced the LRS canopy structure have pleiotropic effects on root architecture. Finally, field observations indicated that LRS maize had a lower incidence of common smut. It is not known whether this apparent resistance is specific to smut or includes other diseases. / Using a wide range of the most recently developed LRS hybrids and some conventional hybrids, a two-year field experiment was conducted to examine the HI and disease resistance of LRS maize. HI, yield, and yield components were compared between the two genotype groups (LRS and conventional) under different population densities. The resistance to the natural incidence of common smut and artificially inoculated Gibberella ear rot was also tested. Morphology and fractal dimension analyses of roots at an early development stage were conducted in indoor experiments. These analyses were performed with WinRHIZO (version 3.9), an interactive scanner-based image analysis system. / This work showed that: (1) There was no relationship between the HI and maturity; higher HIs can also exist among the medium and late maturity LRS hybrids. (2) While LRS maize hybrids have the potential for high yield this was not realized in the LRS hybrids used in this work. Further breeding and development of optimum management practices are needed to fully exploit this potential. (3) During early development LRS hybrids generally had more branching and more complex root systems than conventional hybrids. (4) Fractal dimension, as a comprehensive estimation of root complexity, was highly related to major root morphological variables, such as root total length, surface area, branching frequency and dry mass. (5) Of the hybrids tested the greatest resistance to both common smut and Gibberella ear rot, two major ear diseases, occurred in some of the LRS types.