La surface foliaire, déterminant du développement chez le Soja (Glycine max). Régulation inter-compartiments tige principale – rameaux

Systematic early reduction of two-thirds of the surface of each leaf on the main stem in soya results in (i) a decrease, on the main axis, in the number of leaves formed and the total number of pods, with no change in the rate of phyllogenesis; and (ii) a stimulation of the development of axillary branches which compensate the foliar and reproductive deficit of the main stem through their growth, their leaf surface area, and the number of pods they form. For given growth conditions, it was shown that, to a certain extent, global production (vegetative and reproductive) is maintained at a constant level by compensation processes between the main stem and the branches. The existence of such relations between compartments has regulatory importance for the development of the whole plant. [Translated by the Journal]