Inflorescences

Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a salt and drought tolerant fruit crop mainly cultivated in Arabian countries. Shoot
tip explants of offshoots were used traditionally for various micropropagation protocols on research or commercial levels.
However, its main disadvantage was the scarification of the entire plant. Subsequently, this hinders the micropropagation
of male and female recalcitrant individuals with no offshoots or the interesting cultivars with a limited population.
Consequently, current study is investigating the factors affecting commercial production of tissue cultured palms with
cost-effectively and short-production cycle, which may also strongly enhance the transformation protocols. The innovative
way by which the 15 cm long immature inflorescence was excised before emergence between fronds is reported herewith
this study for the first time. Established spikelet explants were able within 2-3 months only without any callus phase
to produce shining globular structures instead of immature florets. These embryogenic structures couldn’t develop
further without maturation process for 1-2 months under full darkness as well. Subsequently, well-matured embryogenic
structures were shifted to the subsequent differentiation medium under illumination conditions. After then, green shoots
and multiple somatic embryos have been subjected to the multiplication stage, then rooting and eventually successfully
transplanted in the greenhouse. All used nutrient media and their sequential usage is reported in this study by which
it became possible from one inflorescence to produce 10000 plantlets in rooting stage right now of Gulistan Pakistani
cultivar without any bad consequences on the mother tree.

Inflorescence-based micropropagation holds great potential for the multiplication of recalcitrant male and female date palm individual trees and culti-vars of commercial interests with limited populations. This can be accomplished in a short time with minimal effort as compared to the traditional practice of using shoot-tip explants. The aim of this technique is to pave the way to use inflorescence explants to micropropagate date palm by direct formation of organs (somatic embryos or shoots) and avoiding most of the constraints that face the shoot tip like high percentage of contamination in the establishment stage, heavy browning, a long time for first cluster initiation, using a considerable number of offshoots and inability to micropropagate the elite palms in case no offshoots are available. The way to excise the immature inflorescence without damage to the mother tree, composition of the nutrient medium for direct organ initiation have remained hindrances to this technique over recent decades, in addition to the technicalities for proper handling of cultures inside the laboratory and successful shifting of plants to the greenhouse. We report for the first time an innovative method used to excise the immature inflo-rescence at a suitable stage for successful culture initiation. Spikelet explants are induced to produce shining globular structures without a callus phase. Also, explants were exceptionally able to develop direct shoots. Two types of organs developed on the differentiation medium, green shoots and intact somatic embryos. Only green shoots and multiple somatic embryos were subjected to proliferation at the multiplication stage. Well-rooted plantlets were hardened and successfully established in soil.

Portulaca is the only genus in Portulacaceae and includes ca. 100 species with worldwide distribution. Inflorescence types in Portulaca have been used as an important character in infrageneric classifications and it has been suggested that capitula and solitary flowers derive from a cyme. The present paper focuses on the study of the diversification patterns of the inflorescence within Portulacaceae based on a phylogenetic approach. A phylogenetic framework was used to estimate the ancestral inflorescence type under parsimony and maximum likelihood criteria. The results, although ambiguous, suggest that a cymose inflorescence may have been the ancestral type for Cactineae. Diversification patterns within Portulacaceae are not clear, but it is plausible that capitula and solitary flowers are derived from a cymose inflorescence. In addition, the first two types may have evolved independently at least twice in the group. These results show that the inflorescence type has limited systematic utility, contrary to the current accepted infrageneric classifications of Portulaca, and only characterizes a group of Australian species with cymose inflorescences.

Pterisanthes (Vitaceae) is a genus of c. 20 species of scandent climbers endemic to Southeast Asia with unusual lamellate inflorescences. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supports its relationship in the well-supported Vitis– Ampelocissus–Nothocissus–Pterisanthes clade (i.e. the Ampelocissus–Vitis clade). Shoot tips and floral buds were collected from wild and greenhouse-grown P. eriopoda at different developmental stages and were examined using epi-illumination, light and scanning electron microscopy. Inflorescence and floral ontogeny was studied to discover how the lamellate inflorescence evolved and to make morphological comparisons to infer relationships with closely related members of Vitaceae. The second-order branches in P. eriopoda are racemose and develop helically around
the inflorescence axis in a similar fashion to Vitis and Ampelocissus. Inflorescence branching is restricted to the
second order in P. eriopoda, whereas in Vitis and most Ampelocissus species subsequent branching orders
culminate in the typical vitaceous determinate dichasium. In P. eriopoda subsequent lateral growth of the second-order branches combined with the inhibition of peduncle or pedicel formation and loss of dichasial branching results in the unique lamellae in Pterisanthes, on which the floral primordia arise directly in a helical pattern. Floral development in P. eriopoda is the same as in other genera of Vitaceae examined to date with initiation of floral whorls centripetally, the calyx ring developing first and calyx lobes fused to cover the petals and stamen primordia. Given the recent phylogenetic results that placed Pterisanthes firmly within Ampelocissus, the most likely scenario is that the Pterisanthes inflorescence is derived from the thyrse of an Ampelocissus-like
ancestor and that the thyrse is a morphological synapomorphy of the Ampelocissus–Vitis clade.

Flowers Magnolias are a magnificent sight, which is appreciated as a symbol of Magnoliopsida. The morphology of Magnolias flowers creates the impression of their sudden appearance in fossils and in the course of evolution. Possible, Magnolias has not one flower and many flowers, but other structure. In this regard, we analyzed the variability of flowers in 3 species of Magnolia. The results of the studies showed a significant variation in the size and number of elements of the perianth, stamens and pistils, as well as a reduction in their dimensions in the centripetal direction. It is possible that the bright perianth Magnolia is a cataphyll, surrounding the inflorescence of the ear of naked, unisex flowers, in which the female flowers are located at the top, and the male flowers are concentrated at the base. This is also an occasion to revise the existing
concept of the evolution of inflorescences.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of methyl jasmonate spraying on anthocyanin synthesis in florets of oriental hybrid lily cv. ’Sorbonne’ and its relationship with other qualified traits of cut flower. Two concentration of methyl jasmonate (0.2 and 0.4 mM) were separately sprayed on plants at three stages of inflorescence growth (flower buds initiation, florets length of 3 to 5 cm, and 2 to 3 days before harvest). Results showed that there was no significant difference between applied concentrations regarding postharvest characteristics. In case, there was obvious difference in traits among three stages of spraying. Spraying with methyl jasmonate didn’t have any significant difference on leaf greenness over postharvest period but it could preserve higher amount of fresh weight for cut flowers in the late storage life. Other traits such as petal anthocyanin content, vase life, total soluble solid and antioxidant activity were also in the highest amount in this treat...

A study of the vertical distribution of flowering and fruit set and of components of yield (fruit numbers, fruit size, and fruit oil content) was maintained for 2 years in N–S- and E–W-oriented olive hedgerows of comparable structure (row spacing 4 m, hedgerow height to 2.5 m, width c. 1 m) near Toledo, Spain (39.9°N). Mean yield of the N–S orchard was 1854 kg oil/ha without difference between sides or years. Yield of the E–W orchard was greater in 2006, producing 2290 kg/ha, but only 1840 kg/ha in 2007, the same as the N–S orchard. The S side of the E–W orchard yielded more (59%) than the N side in 2007. In both orchards and years, most fruit was produced at 1.0–2.0 m height and fruit density was the most influential component in these differences, reflecting more intense bud initiation in these upper layers. Other components that determined fruit number, fertile inflorescences, fruits per fertile inflorescence, and fruit drop were not significantly different between layers. Fruit ...

The inflorescences of the genus Nassauvia are analyzed following Troll’s comparative-morphological approach. Eight types of synflorescences are recognized, each defined by a particular combination of six developmental processes: truncation, proliferation, shortening of internodes, homogenization of paraclades, suppression of paraclades and shortening of peduncles. Decomposing each inflorescence type into six characters, each referring to a hypothesized developmental process, makes the data suitable for cladistic analysis. The synflorescence patterns described in the present analysis mostly correlate with currently accepted infrageneric classifications; discrepancies are discussed. Inflorescences currently described as „pseudocephalia” are shown to be strongly condensed panicles or stachyoids of heads. Sister group inspection suggests the condensed panicle of heads to be the basal inflorescence condition within the genus Nassauvia.

Sex determination in maize is controlled by a developmental cascade leading to the formation of unisexual florets derived from an initially bisexual floral meristem. Abortion of pistil primordia in staminate florets is controlled by a tasselseed-mediated cell death ...