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American Journal of Botany, Vol 84, 1164, Copyright © 1997 by Botanical Society of America, Inc.

BRIEF COMMUNICATION

An electronic device for continuous, in vivo measurement of forces exerted by twining vines

AA Matista and WK Silk

Contact forces are important in maintaining the twining habit of viny stems. A stem twining around a supporting pole puts itself into tension and uses a helical geometry to generate normal loads that are large relative to stem mass per unit length (Silk and Hubbard, Journal of Biomechanics 24(7):599-606, 1991). An electronic pressure-sensing device has been constructed to provide continuous, in vivo measurements of the forces exerted by twining stems. The pressure-sensing element is based on a thin beam load cell that is sheared by a twining stem ascending a split pole. Preliminary results show that after morning glory stems begin to coil around a supporting pole, the twining force increases in an oscillatory fashion over 3 or 4 d, corresponding to positions at least 200 mm from the apex. The force-measuring device should reveal relationships between twining forces and developmental attributes or environmental factors.


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W. K. Silk and N. M. Holbrook
The importance of frictional interactions in maintaining the stability of the twining habit
Am. J. Botany, November 1, 2005; 92(11): 1820 - 1826.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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Copyright © 1997 by the Botanical Society of America, Inc.