A perspective on the importance of managing juvenility in plants: focus on plant improvement and propagation

摘要

Although I took the opportunity to officially retire from my professorship in horticulture at a major Midwest university, on-going research projects along with increased participation in the projects at Knight Hollow Nursery, Inc. continued to involveme in research activities encompassing both propagation and plant genetic improvement. These activities have also involved discussions with growers and researchers about how to accomplish various goals. In explaining my ideas, I soon became aware that the concept of managing the juvenile/adult phase of development in crops was often not well understood nor its importance well appreciated. Occasionally I ended up taking time to explain my perspective on developmental change in plants and how this wouldbe a major part of the particular project we were discussing. One result of all this "retirement" activity was to include plant juvenility in progress talks I was asked to present. My discussion here today at IPPS is a continuance of this theme.