Growth characteristics of first-year and second-year konjak plants and dry matter accumulation in the corm and cormlets as affected by the number of cormlets per plant [Japanese]

摘要

The experiments were conducted to examine the growth pattern of first-year and second-year konjak plants. Moreover, the relation between corm weight and cormlet weight was investigated in relation to the number of cormlets per plant. The leaf area of the first-year konjak plant maximized 43 days after the leaf unfolding, but specific leaf weight increased until the later growth stage. The number of cormlets did not increase after 20 days following leaf unfolding. The corm weight increased linearly after 10 days after the leaf unfolding. The number of cormlets was not different among cultivars for the first-year plants and the second-year plants. Leaf area and dry matter accumulation to organs of the second-year plants were much larger than that of the first-year plants, but the growth patterns of first-year and second-year plants were similar, The measurements of the dry weight of the corm and the number of cormlets revealed that the greater the number of cormets per plant, the less the dry weight of the corm. This indicates the competition of dry matter accumulation between the corm and the cormlets. The removal of lateral buds at 7 days after the leaf unfolding caused a significant increase in the dry weight of the corm compared with that from the untreated konjak plant. This suggests that the dry matter accumulation in the corm can be enhanced the number of cormlets is reduced.