[MassChestnutOrchards] temperature and catkin vs. female flower development

[Fred Hebard]

Go by the females.  But if the males start getting bushy, bag.

The two inflorescence types are asynchronous with respect to  
temperature, perhaps because the bisexual catkins develop later, so  
cool temps later in development might slow them more than the males.

Fred


Frederick V. Hebard, PhD
Staff Pathologist, Meadowview Research Farms
American Chestnut Foundation
14005 Glenbrook Ave.
Meadowview, VA 24361

Email: Fred at acf.org
Web: http://www.acffarms.org
Phone: (276) 944-4631
Fax: (276) 944-0934


On Jun 17, 2010, at 7:55 AM, Yvonne Federowicz wrote:

> I looked at the Chinese tree near my workplace yesterday.  The male  
> catkins are fully bushed out.  However the bisexual catkins are  
> very short, with many female flowers invisible from the ground.   
> (This is a tree that produces many burrs.)
>
> Last year, which stayed cool and rainy throughout flower  
> development, I was watching male catkins and planning to bag when  
> they were half bushy.  However at that point, the females were  
> quite large.
>
> So I'm wondering if male catkins are a bit more temperature- 
> sensitive than female flowers, which might be more time-dependent.
>
> (This would mean in very warm years, bagging when male catkins were  
> further along than in very cold years.)
>
> Any thoughts?
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