ultrastructural study on the development of silicified tissues in the leaf tip of barley (Hordeum sativum Jess)

The development of silicified tissues in the tip of the fourth and fifth leaf of 7-week-old barley plants grown in nutrient solution was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The pattern of silicification was similar in the epidermal cells, sclerenchyma cells and intercellular spaces. Si...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of botany 1982-08, Vol.50 (2), p.229-237
Main Author: Bennett, D.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barley
Cell walls
Epidermal cells
Extracellular space
Hordeum sativum Jess
Leaves
Mesophyll cells
opalines
plant anatomy
plant morphology
Plants
Polymerization
Sclerenchyma
silica bodies
Silicon
ultrastructure
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Summary:The development of silicified tissues in the tip of the fourth and fifth leaf of 7-week-old barley plants grown in nutrient solution was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The pattern of silicification was similar in the epidermal cells, sclerenchyma cells and intercellular spaces. Silica granules first appeared around the periphery and eventually filled the entire cell lumen or space. The granules then polymerized to form a solid mass. The walls of the sclerenchyma cells also became silicified but to a less extent than those of the epidermal cells, in which silicification sometimes occurred prior to that in the lumen. The results are discussed in relation to the chemistry of silica and possible mechanisms of silicification.
ISSN:0305-7364
1095-8290
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a086360