Changes in the Amount and Distribution of Increment Induced by Contrasting Watering, Nitrogen, and Environmental Régimes

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Abstract
Young apple-trees were grown for one season under various conditions; the increments in dry weight and the proportions of these increments distributed to leaves, stem, and roots were determined. Considerable differences in both increment and distribution were induced by watering, nitrogen, and a greenhouse environment. Much of the change in distribution could be attributed to the treatments without any effect of the size of the increment, but in the cases of new stem under all treatments in the greenhouse or in the open, and of root in the greenhouse, changes in proportion were not definitely independent of change in increment. These environmental treatments, in their effect of changing the pattern of distribution, are to be contrasted with treatments such as pruning and shoor number which only alter the proportion of old stem to new stem, and then only according to the degree of pruning. It is concluded that a distinction, useful in analysing the growth of woody perennials, may be made between these two groups of treatments. One group affects the physiology of the plant; the other acts chiefly by switching the ‘form’ of the developing plant without affecting the general physiology.

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