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Physiological Studies with Prickly Pear
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
Abstract
Opuntia laevis or O. polyacantha (prickly pear) plants exhibited little water loss, exceptional viability, low nutrient requirements for growth, slight photosynthetic activity, slow translocation, and low transpiration rate as compared with corn or soybean plants. The limited number of stomata, thick wax cuticle, and high water binding ability of cell mucilage in prickly pear are largely responsible for the aforementioned physiological characteristics. These studies show that prickly pear pads, which are modified stems, are not efficient organs for metabolic activities. Water extracts of prickly pear tissue applied to corn seeds were found to induce pronounced growth stimulation of corn seedlings.
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- Copyright © 1966 Weed Science Society of America
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