PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL STUDIES ON WATER HYACINTH PLANT.

Abstract

The present work was earned out at the Faculty of Agriculture Ain Shams University, during the years 1993 to 1996. The aim of this work dealt with two categories: the physiological, dealing with many morphological growth parameters, while the anatomical side was a trial to elucidate the structural mystries of water hyacinth: the noxious weed of easy establishment and powerful growth even within hard circumstances of growth. The results are summrized in the following : -Growth and developmental studies 1-The plant size varied significantly with the environmental seasons of the year; being highest in summer , but greatly reduced in winter. 2-The specific weight and buoyancy did not show any change within seasonal or any growth affecting treatments; this characteristic helps the plant to tolerate all unfavorable conditions. 3-Concerning the leaf number, sequential studies, through the plastochron index revealed that both seasonal and sampling dates caused highly significant changes in the leaf number during the three experimental seasons, in favor of the last (summer) season.