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THE INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUAL EMBRYONIC TISSUES ON THE MORPHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ZEA MAYS (POACEAE) GERMLINGS
Author(s) -
Tilton Varien R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1981.tb07815.x
Subject(s) - scutellum , epicotyl , hypocotyl , biology , coleoptile , botany , embryo , germination , zea mays , radicle , poaceae , microbiology and biotechnology , agronomy
Mature embryos of Zea mays L. (inbred A188) were used in this study, which was undertaken to investigate three questions: 1) do all embryonic tissues of Zea , viz., coleoptile, scutellum, epicotyl, mesocotyl, hypocotyl, and coleorhiza, influence germling morphology and growth; 2) if a given tissue does exert an influence, what is it, and 3) what effect does removal of one tissue have on that tissue and on the tissues remaining? Experimental results revealed growth of isolated epicotyls was greater than that of epicotyls still attached to the scutellum, but it was less than that of whole embryo controls. Isolated hypocotyls grew less than any other tissue except scutella, which seemed to have no growth response. Hypocotyls still attached to the scutellum had the greatest growth response of all tissues. Intact embryo axes had a response intermediate to whole embryo controls and isolated epicotyls. Growth of the epicotyl is influenced most strongly by the hypocotyl, and growth of the hypocotyl, by the scutellum. The mesocotyl does not appear to have a regulatory influence on other tissues. It is proposed that the scutellum synthesizes or otherwise provides a growth factor (nutrients, growth regulator, or combination thereof) which is the initial stimulus for hypocotyl and root growth during germination, and that the epicotyl has a regulating influence on this factor in germlings and young seedlings.