What does Terminal Bud mean?
In horticulture, buds are often used to help identify plants. A plant’s buds may be classified and described according to different things like their location on the plant as well as their function.
The terminal bud is the dominant or the main bud of a plant that is responsible for all of its new growth. A terminal bud is typically located at the end of a plant stem.
The terminal bud is the main point of growth for a plant that contains specialized tissue known as the apical meristem. These are cells that are able to divide indefinitely and will ultimately produce all of the various tissues necessary for plant growth.
More On Terminal Bud
The terminal bud is almost always produced at the top or end of growth on a plant (the tip of the stem).
Most plants also have alternative or axillary buds located a little further down the stem, in the axils of the plant. These buds will only develop if the terminal bud is destroyed or injured beyond producing.
Multi-branched species like trees or shrubs may have multiple terminal buds from which new branches will later form.
The amount and promotion of terminal buds on a plant can be enhanced through careful pruning. If cut just below the point of a terminal bud, the plant will produce additional terminal buds. This technique is most often employed in orchards where a number of terminal buds are required for producing a good yield.
The terminal bud is the main area of growth in most plants where its own growth exhibits apical dominance, inhibiting the growth of axillary buds. Around the terminal bud is a complex arrangement of nodes and internodes with maturing leaves.
The terminal bud is the end of the embryonic shoot that is undeveloped. Also known as the apical bud, the terminal bud on a stem releases a hormone that prevents axillary buds from growing. It causes the axillary buds to grow slowly, which then allows the plant to grow taller to reach more light.
When the apical bud is removed, the hormone signal stops and the axillary buds can grow more vigorously. In cannabis cultivation, removing the terminal bud is known as pinching, or pinching back and is done to create a fuller, bushier plant.
The apical buds occur at the end, or apex, of stems, and because of this location, they are also known as terminal buds. These axillary buds occur at a leaf node, which is where a leaf emerges from the stem of a stem.
This definition was written in the context of Cannabis
