Phytomer development in a C4 grass

The morphology of almost all grasses can be conceptualized as a hierarchical arrangement of subunits, termed phytomers. Therefore, knowledge of phytomer growth and development serves as a basis to elucidate the rhythm of grass growth. A recent study published in AoB PLANTS by Yang et al. provides systematic analyses of the process of phytomer development of Cleistogenes squarrosa, a perennial C₄ grass.

The invariant coordination of elongation within and between phytomers was a stable developmental feature across treatments, thus the quantitative coordination rules are applicable for predicting morphological development of C. squarrosa under contrasting levels of nitrogen nutrition or vapour pressure deficit.