Possible role of jasmonic acid in the regulation of floral induction, evocation and floral differentiation in Lemna minor L.

Jasmonic acid (JA) is implicated in a wide variety of developmental and physiological processes in plants. Here, we studied the effects of JA and the combination of JA and ethylenediamine-dio-hydroxyphenyl-acetic acid (EDDHA) on flowering in Lemna minor in axenical cultures. JA (0.475–47.5 nmol l−1) enhanced floral induction in L. minor under long-day (LD) conditions. Under the same conditions, at a concentration of 237.5 nmol l−1, JA inhibited floral induction, and at a concentration of 475 nmol l–1 it prevented floral induction. Under LD conditions with LD preculture, a combination of EDDHA (20,500 nmol l−1) and JA (47.5 nmol l−1) had a synergistic effect on the promotion of floral induction. Floral induction was enhanced to the greatest extent in experiments with LD precultures. Microscopic examination of microphotographs of histological sections showed that JA and, to an even greater extent, JA + EDDHA at optimal concentrations promote apical floral induction (evocation). Furthermore, JA, and to an even greater extent JA in combination with EDDHA in an optimal concentration, also promote flower differentiation, especially the development of stamens, as is evident from the microphotographs. The experimental results show that JA promotes floral induction in other species of Lemnaceae from various groups according to their photoperiodic response. The results support our hypothesis that, in addition to previously ascribed functions, JA may regulate floral induction, evocation and floral differentiation. Our hypothesis is supported also by the results obtained by quantitative determination of endogenous JA levels in L. minor at three growth stages. The levels of endogenous JA decreased from 389 ng JA g–1 (fresh weight) of L. minor during the vegetative stage to 217 ng JA g–1 during the evocation stage, and to 37.5 ng JA g–1 during the flowering stage, which proves that JA is used for flowering.