Studies in sorghum - the non-auriculate and e-ligulate condition

Abstract

The occurrence of the non-auriculate and e-ligulate condition and its repurcussions on the earhead throw light on the homology between the leaf and the earhead. In non-auriculate and e-ligulate families, the leaves are more erect and the panicle branches likewise. With the suppression of the auricle and ligule there is an absence of the pulvinus and a shortening of the spikelet-free area in the panicle branches and branchlets. This leads to a choking overcrowding of the spikelts on the earhead and consequent risk of sterility. In highly evolved sorghums with auricle and ligule, the presence of the pulvinus and pushing away of the grain-bearing area from the central axis have resulted in producing an economic earhead. These observations are wider in their import in that they throw light on the evolution of the gramineae.