Oxalic acid induced cytological alterations differ in beans tolerant or susceptible to white mould

summary Leaf tissues of two white bean ( Phuscolus vulgaris L.) cultivars, one susceptible and one tolerant to white mould [Sclerotinia sclerotinrum (Lib.) de Bary], were treated for different times with oxalic acid. Tissues were prepared by both thin sectioning and freeze‐fraeture techniques for electron microscopy. The plasma membrane of the resistant cultivar appeared more tolerant to damage induced by oxalic acid than that of the susceptible cultivar. At the same concentration of oxalic acid the plasma membrane and chloroplasts of the susceptible cultivar were affected more, and ruptured more quickly, than those of the tolerant one. In thin sections, the ruptured organelles were partially or completely disorganized. In replicas of freeze‐fractured preparations of the plasma membrane, increased protrusions, wrinkles, breakages and ruptures were associated with increasing exposure to oxalic acid. Damage was more severe in the plasma membrane of the susceptible cultivar than in that of the tolerant one. Measurements of the conductivity of water bathing leaf discs of the two cultivars showed that the susceptible cultivar led to a higher conductivity than the resistant one, indicating that the injury and rupturing of the plasma membrane were closely related to membrane stability.