Apical Dominance
Strong trunk dominance is essential before branching.
The plant isn't trying to be suppressed. It's executing a strategy: grow vertically until you reach good light, then branch laterally.
Apical dominance is the phenomenon where the main shoot suppresses lateral branch growth. The terminal bud produces auxin (a plant hormone that regulates growth and causes phototropism) which flows downward through vascular tissue and inhibits lateral buds from growing. The closer the lateral bud is to the terminal bud, the stronger the inhibition.
Strong apical dominance (pines, spruces, firs) produces single straight trunk with sparse lateral branches - Christmas tree shape. These species prioritize height in competitive forests, with lateral buds staying dormant for years. Moderate apical dominance (oaks, maples) produces central leader when young, but lateral branches grow strongly once tree reaches canopy height. Weak apical dominance (shrubs, bushes, grasses) produces multiple shoots from base with no central leader - spreading growth form optimal in open environments where height confers no advantage.
Remove the terminal bud (by cutting or damage) and inhibition disappears - lateral branches explode. Gardeners exploit this: pinch tomatoes to get bushy plants with more fruit-bearing branches, prune fruit trees to control shape and maximize fruiting wood, cut hedges to force dense growth.
Business Application of Apical Dominance
Strong trunk dominance is essential before branching. Companies should maintain clear core business identity and only branch from positions of strength. Berkshire maintained insurance trunk dominance for 60 years; GE lost trunk clarity by branching into everything without maintaining dominant core.
Apical Dominance Appears in 2 Chapters
Apical dominance varies by species - pines maintain strong trunk dominance while shrubs allow multiple shoots - matching growth pattern to competitive environment.
Apical dominance in branching logic →Auxin from the terminal bud suppresses lateral growth, forcing resource allocation to the dominant apex - a chemical mechanism for prioritization.
The chemistry of apical dominance →