English ivy (Hedera helix L.) was used to study the relationship between lignin accumulation and adventitious rooting. Juvenile-phase and three chronological ages of mature-phase petioles were collected from clonal stock plants, analyzed for quantity of vascular lignin, and placed in an in vitro rooting assay. Rooting competence was determined by observing the number of roots formed per petiole. The number of roots per petiole differed significantly between juvenile-phase and mature-phase petioles. Lignin accumulation increased during petiole growth and development with chronologically older mature-phase petioles having the greatest amounts of lignin. There was a negative correlation between lignin accumulation and adventitious rooting competence.

Hedera helix, roots, ontogenetic phase, chronological age
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Author notes

This research was support in part by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. Paper No. 981210031. Also funded by the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund. BARD, P.O. Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. We wish to thank Ms. Faye Propsom for help in statistical analysis.

2Graduate Student Assistant.

3Professor Emeritus.

4Associate Professor. To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

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2002