Determination of abscisic acid hormone (ABA), mineral content, and distribution pattern of 13C photoassimilates in bark-ringed young peach trees

Abstract

Abscisic acid (ABA), mineral content, and 13C photoassimilates in young leaf, shoot and root of peach trees (Prunus persica Batsch cv. Hikawahakuho) as affected by phloemic stress (bark ring) were studied. The trees were treated as control (no phloem ringing), partial phloem ringing (PR) and complete ringing (CR). Phloem ringing was made by peeling out 2 cm length of bark (phloem) from the trunk leaving a connecting 2 mm thickness of phloem strip (a band) while complete ringing (CR) left no phloem strip. Free, bound and total ABA content in peach shoot and leaf were higher in CR and PR treated trees than in control trees. The N and Ca content in the root were higher in PR and CR than in control. 13C photoassimilates were higher in leaf, shoot and upper trunk in PR and CR than in control. The results show that PR and CR increase ABA content in leaf, 13C photoassimilate content in shoot and leaf, and mineral content in root. The increase in the hormone (ABA) and mineral content in the leaf and root seems to affect the overall plant nutrition that leads to small-sized peach trees.

Keywords

• abscisic acid
• mineral content
• 13C photoassimilates
• dwarfing
• partial ringing
• complete ringing
• peach trees