Klimešová J. & Klimeš L. 1996. Effects of rhizome age and nutrient availability on carbohydrate reserves in Rumex alpinus rhizomes. Biologia, Bratislava, 51: 457-461.
The allocation of carbon to non-structural carbohydrates was studied at two levels of nutrient availability in Rumex alpinus, a clonal plant with large carbohydrate reserves in its rhizomes. The studied plant was cultivated in sand and loam. Two other treatments included an interface between sand and loam: the rhizome segment initiated in the current year was planted in sand and the older rhizome segments in loam, and vice versa.
The plants growing on sand and the plants grown from the current year’s rhizome placed in sand produced a smaller leaf area, less above-ground biomass and relatively smaller rhizome segments than plants from the other treatments. The concentration of total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) in rhizome segments of the same age showed no differences between the treatments. However, significant differences in TNC concentration between rhizome segments of different ages were found. The rhizome segment produced in the last growing season showed the lowest concentration of TNC in dry mass (42.5 %). In the next segment the highest value (54.4 %) was found. Older segments showed TNC concentrations ranging between 53.3 and 48.6 % and a decreasing tendency with segment age. These results are discussed in relation to plant regeneration in the field.