Assimilation of 14CO2 by the Inflorescence of Poa annua L. and Lolium perenne L.

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Abstract
The relative assimilatory activity of the inflorescence, its individual components, and the leaves of flowering tillers of Poa annua L. and Lolium perenneL. was determined over the period from inflorescence emergence to seed shedding. The pattern of 14CO2 fixation was similar for both species and the inflorescence was by far the most important assimilatory organ of the reproductive tiller, particularly over the latter period of seed development as leaf senescence progressed. With the exception of the seeds all parts of the inflorescence showed significant assimilatory activity and the lemmas and paleas accounted for 40–50 per cent of the total 14C fixed by the inflorescence in both species. The importance of the grass inflorescence as a photosynthetic structure is discussed in relation to similar studies on cereals.

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