
How do plants enlarge? A balancing act; Final report
Author(s) -
Jessica Boyer
Publication year - 1996
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/674899
Subject(s) - cytoplasm , resizing , nanotechnology , engineering , computer science , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , business , european union , economic policy
Cells of plants are surrounded by strong walls that prevent rupture from internal pressures that can be two or three times that of an automobile tire. In this way, the walls protect the cytoplasm. However, at the same time, the cells can enlarge as they grow. How this balancing act works and how it enlarges the plant were the subject of a recent conference at the University of Delaware in Lewes. The aim was to identify areas for future research that could explain the enlargement of whole plants. There is a large practical need to predict and modify plant enlargement but the additional processes that overlie the molecular ones need to be integrated with the molecular information before a picture will emerge. How best to accomplish this involved input from cross-disciplinary areas in biomechanics, physics and engineering as well as molecular biology, biochemistry and ultrastructure