Promotion of flowering in Lemna paucicostata 6746 (a short-day duckweed) by cytokinins

Abstract

Lemna paucicostata 6746 is a short-day plant and flowers in response to a single photoinductive cycle. Flowering in this duckweed could be promoted, under short days, in the presence of a cytokinin in the nutrient medium. 6-Benzyladenine (BA) was the most effective for promotion of flowering, followed by zeatin and kinetin. Since EDTA itself is promotive for flowering in this plant, the cytokinin effect is best observed in medium devoid of EDTA. Nevertheless, in their combined presence flowering was more as compared to when either of these was individually present. This additive effect on flowering was especially prominent when the plants were kept in near-critical photoperiods. Besides the increase in percentage of the flowering fronds, flowering is also sustained a little longer in the cytokinin-treated plants. BA, however, did not alter the critical dark period requirement, either in the presence or absence of EDTA.