Development of sinks as an autocatalytic feed-back process: a test using the asymmetric growth of leaves in mestha (Hibiscus cannabinus L.)

Abstract

Differential development of sinks that depend on a common resource pool has been viewed as a consequence of an autocatalytic feedback process of flow of resource units into them. The feed-back process implies that the stronger a sink is relative to its competitors, the greater is its probability of getting further resources as a non-linear function of its resource drawing ability and sink size. We show that this model contrasts with that of the sink-strength dependent model in its prediction of the subsequent development of the initial asymmetry of growing leaves when their resource drawing ability is enhanced. By artificially enhancing the resource drawing ability of the leaves of Mestha (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) by external application of growth regulators, we test these predictions and show that the results are in conformity with the autocatalytic model proposed by Ganeshaiah and Uma Shaanker.