Conjugated polyamines and flowering differentiation in the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco)

To characterize as early as possible the status of flowering differentiation in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) France), the variation of bound or conjugated polyamines is studied in the shoots of young plants (6 years old) during the period covering flowering initiation (between 30 and 75 days after bud burst). These compounds are also quantified in sexual and vegetative buds. The quantitative effects of treatments susceptible to stimulate the flowering (application of gibberellins and (or) calcium nitrate) on the level of conjugated polyamines are investigated in the shoots. The combination of gibberellins to calcium nitrate application strongly increases the flowering. Conjugated polyamines are particularly abundant in sexual buds and in the shoots of flowering plants. Sexual buds are also characterized by a ratio of conjugated putrescine to conjugated spermidine about four to six times higher than in vegetative buds. The accumulation of conjugated polyamines in the shoots accompanies bud sexualization, which suggests that conjugated polyamines may constitute potential markers of floral initiation in Douglas-fir.