Seasonal allocation of carbohydrates between above‐ and below‐ground organs of Typha domingensis

Abstract

Seasonal carbohydrates allocation by Typha domingensis was evaluated to identify the potential physiological weaknesses in the growth cycle of this plant in Lake Burullus, Egypt. Monthly plant samples (February–October 2014) were separated into shoots, roots and rhizomes to evaluate the seasonal changes in water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC), starch and total non‐structural carbohydrates (TNC) for each plant organ. The present study indicated that rhizomes are strong carbohydrates sink during the life cycle of T. domingensis. Starch represented the greatest part of the TNC pool, surpassing the concentration of WSC 1.8–4.3 times. The WSC, starch and TNC concentrations of T. domingensis below‐ground organs (rhizomes and roots) were high at the beginning of the vegetative period (February); they reached their minima in March to support the shoots growth, then were followed by a gradual increase due to the translocation from shoots. The time when T. domingensis is expected to be most susceptible to a management technique is at the point in the seasonal cycle when the stored carbohydrates are at the lowest (in March).

Determination of carbohydrate allocation patterns in water hyacinth to discover the potential physiological weak points in its life cycle

“…Quantitative studies that determine carbohydrate allocation patterns and biomass budgets throughout the life cycle contribute to our understanding of plants, their life history and strategies for controlling them (Asaeda and Karunaratne 2000;Asaeda et al 2005;Asaeda et al 2006;Asaeda et al 2008;Eid 2010;Eid and Shaltout 2016;. A physiological weak point in the life cycle of a plant is when it is least likely to recover from the application of a control method (Luu and Getsinger 1990a).…”

“…A physiological weak point in the life cycle of a plant is when it is least likely to recover from the application of a control method (Luu and Getsinger 1990a). Many studies have determined the physiological weak points within the life cycle of many macrophyte species based primarily on seasonal carbohydrate allocation patterns and have demonstrated that timing the control approach to the target species' weak point in carbohydrate storage can improve the effectiveness of control (Madsen 1993a(Madsen , 1997Katovich et al 1998;Madsen and Owens 1998;Owens and Madsen 1998;Woolf and Madsen 2003;Wersal et al 2011;Wersal, Madsen, and Cheshier 2013;Eid and Shaltout 2016).…”