Читать книгу Wheat - Peter R. Shewry - Страница 19

The production of tillers (DGS = 2n) allows the plant to spread and increase its canopy size more than would be possible through just increasing the number of leaves on the main stem. Tillers originate in the axils of the leaf nodes and rise between the leaf sheaths. Tillers are counted as such when they have their own fully unfolded leaf (Figure 1.10). Each tiller has the potential to produce an ear, but the plant will often produce more tillers than survive to maturity. Tillering is particularly important when inter‐plant competition is low. This can arise, for example, when seedling establishment has been poor due to difficult seed bed conditions and/or when seed of low vigour has been used. Additionally, tillering can help compensate when neighbouring stems or plants have been lost through frost or hail damage, or through herbivory by insects and mammals.