Plastochron indexes in Hevea brasiliensis growth under two water regimes

Abstract

Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plants were grown in two water regimes, so that one treatment (wet plants) received water every other day and other treatment (dry plants) received water every seventh day, during the experimental period. In wet plants, plastochron indexes (PI) advanced more rapidly with time and final leaf size was greater (9.6 cm average). Diminished water supply appears to affect the rate of development and the sequence of developmental events, as observed when plastochron index was plotted against time and when leaf length was plotted against plastochron index of wet and dry treatments. It appears that the plastochron index could be used as a scale for studies connected with the effects of water availability on the development of Hevea brasiliensis.