Phytomer
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (August 2023) |
Phytomers are functional units of a plant, continually produced by root and shoot meristems throughout a plant's vegetative life-cycle. Increases in a phytomer can be measured using the rate of phyllochron (rate of appearance of leaves on a shoot). Related to the phyllochron is the plastochron, which is the rate of leaf primordia initiation. Since many more leaf primordia are initiated than leaves develop, the plastochron develops at a much faster rate (sometimes as much as twice as quickly) as the phyllochron.[citation needed]
Initially, a young plant will only produce phytomers at its apical meristems but later in development, secondary meristems will begin to form and phytomers will be formed on this lateral plant growth.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- Howell, S.H. (1998). Molecular Genetics of Plant Development. Cambridge University Press 104. ISBN 0-521-58784-0
- McMaster, G. S. Phytomers, phyllochrons, phenology and temperate cereal development. J. Agric. Sci. 143, 137 (2005).
.svg){kind=small} | This plant morphology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |